Mission San Jose y San Miguel de Aguayo, Church, 6539 San Jose Road, San Antonio

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS TEX,15-SANT,V,5E-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

The church is a typical component of a Spanish mission complex built during the period of Texas frontier. PART I. HISTORICAL INFORMATION A. Physical History: 1. Date of erection: 2. Original and subsequent owners: See History section of Mission San Jose y San Miguel de Aguayo, HABS No. 3. Builder: Father Pedro Ramirez de Arellano. 4. Original plans and construction: Before the partial # secularization of the Spanish missions, the church and the chapel were a beautiful feature. Father Jose Francisco Lopez wrote in that the entire church building and its furnishings were valued at thirty thousand pesos and eight or ten thousand pesos respectively. Ornaments, some of silver, included a frontal, a throne and a baldaquin. B.

Historical Context: See Mission San Jose y San Miguel de Aguayo, HABS NO. PART II. ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION A. General Statement: 1. Architectural character: The church is of a large cruciform type with two front towers. A vaulted roof and dome, an ornate frontispiece and buttresses give the church more architectural flavor. 2. Condition of fabric: The walls are sound and the building is currently well maintained. B. Description of Exterior: 1. Overall dimensions: The church is approximately twenty feet wide and eight feet long. The front facade is approximately forty feet wide. MISSION SAN JOSE Y SAN MIGUEL DE AGUAYO, CHURCH HABS No. TX-333-A (Page 2) # 2. Foundation: Rubble stone and lime mortar. 3.

Walls: Dressed rubble limestone laid in lime mortar, reinforced with stone buttresses having plain weatherings. Exterior corners are of ashlar limestone quoins. 4. Structural system: Load bearing masonry walls, vaulted roof and dome. Present vaults and dome are reconstructions in reinforced concrete dating from this century. 5. Openings: a. Doorways and doors: The principal doorway is located in the west facade and is an integral part of the frontispiece. Its profile is a typical shape as found in Mexican churches, being formed by concave quadrants springing from the imposts and joined to the center arc by two inside right angles. The intrados of this "arch" is rebated. Framing the opening are two classical pilasters with molded bases and capitals.

These pilasters and the "arch" architrave have ornate raised foliate decoration. Flanking the pilasters and defining the outer edges of the frontispiece are two niche-pilasters of typical form, reflecting the characteristic rocaille and pi jante forms of the period. A classical molded cornice, broken in the horizontal plane, covered by various raised foliate forms, clearly divides the frontispiece into its upper and lower halves. Tine upper half, organized around the elliptical choir window also repeats the rocaille and pi jante forms as found below. The composition is terminated with a classical molded cornice. The double wood doors are later replacements (this century) and are paneled in the "colonial" style. b.

Windows: There is one window opening at the base of each tower, both alike, with a wide, plain stone architrave and a classical molded label. The windows are not original. There are two splayed openings high in the south wall, with wood casement sash. Four windows are located in the reconstructed octagonal drum of the crossing; they are fixed wood sash. 6. Poof: The present roof, reconstructed in this century, is reinforced concrete and imitates the original vaulting and dome. MISSION SAN JOSE Y SAN MIGUEL DE AGUAYO, CHUPCH HABS No. TX-333-A (page 3) * Description of Interior: 1. Floor plan: Rectangular five bay nave with towers; no transepts 2. Flooring: Flagstone, not original. 3.

Wall and ceiling finish: Walls and ceilings plastered, whitewashed, with the exception of a red dado and yellow border. 4. Doors: The doorway leading into the chapel has an ornate, molded architrave with raised decoration, and a classical molded cornice, round-arch shaped in the center. The double wood doors are paneled in the "colonial" style. 5. Trim: None notable. 6. Mechanical equipment: a. Heating: None. b. Lighting: Electric hanging fixtures in the "colonial" style. D. Site: 1. General setting and orientation: The church is oriented with its long axis east to west with the principal facade facing west, and is located parallel to and near the north boundary of the old Mission Plaza. Prepared by: John C. Garner, Jr. Director, Bexar County Architecture Survey PART III.

PROJECT INFORMATION The San Antonio project was undertaken by the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) in the summer of and was made possible with funds from HABS and two sponsors, the Bexar County Historical Survey Committee and the San Antonio Conservation Society. Under the direction of James Massey, Chief of HABS, the project was carried out by Wesley I. Shank (Iowa State University), project supervisor, and by student assistant architects, Charles W. Barrow (University of Texas); Les Beilinson (University of Miami); William H. Edwards (University of Illinois); and Larry D. Hermsen (Iowa State University) at the HABS field office in the former Ursuline Academy buildings, San Antonio. John C.

Garner, Director of Bexar County Architecture Survey, did the outside work on the written documentaries. Susan McCown, a HABS staff historian in the Washington, office, edited the written data in for preparation of transmittal to the Library of Congress. Dewey G. Mears of Austin, Texas took the documentary photographs of the San Antonio structures. MISSION SAN JOSE Y SAN MIGUEL DE AGUAYO, CHURCH HABS No. TX-333-A (page 4) The photographs of the church are part of the San Antonio Missions project, which was sponsored by the Sotrtftwes-t Regional office* National Park Service. John Lowe of the HABS/HAER Office, Washington, took the photographs. ADDENDUM TO HAR3 . rX-3"53-A MISSION SAN JOHF Y SAM MIGUEL F)E AGUAYG. U-iURCH (San Jose Mission, Churcn) San Antonio Missions Nations!

Historical Park San Jose Road T X San An ton i.o Bsxar County XEROGRAPHIC COi'-l^'J DP COLOf? n:;AN5PARhNL: ,U"iS f ' . ; : , ADDENDUM TO: HABS TX-333-A MISSION SAN JOSE Y SAN MIGUEL DE AGUAYO, CHURCH TEX,15-SANT,V,5E- (San Jose Mission, Church) San Antonio Missions National Historical Park San Jose Road San Antonio Bexar County Texas PAPER COPIES OF COLOR TRANSPARENCIES HISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior C Street NW Washington, DC