Lieutenant Juan de Ayala of the
Royal Navy of Spain, was the first to steer a ship through the Golden
Gate, and a strange coincidence was that his ship was the San Carlos
which had come to San Diego with a portion of the first Spanish pioneers
in 1769. With Lieutenant Ayala was Father Vincente de Santa Maria who,
with Fathers Palou and Cambon, planted a Mission Cross and founded
Mission Nuestra Senora de los Dolores, which has withstood so many
ravages of time and change, of man and elements.
The seventh Mission was San Juan Capistrano, founded November 1, 1776,
by Father Lasuen. This Mission was also a very flourishing Mission, the
Indians were laborers in its construction, which lasted nearly fourteen
years.
Mission Santa Clara was the eighth to be established. It was founded on
January 12, 1777. The original lines of this once beautiful Mission are
almost entirely changed but like all its sister missions it still
retains much of its dear old atmosphere, and can boast of the tomb of
Father Magin Catala who died there in 1836 "in the odor of sanctity."
Mission Santa Clara was founded by Father Tomas de la Pena y Saradia;
and its history is fascinating and romantic.
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