Miraculous story of summer swallow migration at the Mission San Juan Capistrano
Contract Writer
The colors and architecture at the Mission San Juan Capistrano in southern California are a painters dream according to JoAnn Royal, artist who is on a mission to paint the Mission.
Clad in a summer straw bonnet and painter’s frock and armed with a horsehair paintbrush tipped with the colors of spring, JoAnn Royal, member of the Southern California Plein Air Painters Association (SOCALPAPA), has a mission to paint the historic and beautiful San Juan Capistrano Mission located in the sunny, picturesque, town of San Juan Capistrano, CA.
“The colors and architecture at the mission are a painters dream!” Royal explained.
In addition, visitors from around the world come to the Mission each March 19, to watch with fascination the recurring migration of the California swallows.
According to the Mission website, a story retold by Father St. John O’Sullivan, one time pastor of the San Juan Capistrano Mission, in his book, Capistrano Nights, describes the memory of the miraculous first visit of the swallows to their springtime Mission home.
Father St. John O’Sullivan, one time pastor of the San Juan Capistrano Mission, is reported to have initiated the swallows’ migration to the Mission by telling them to come stay at the Mission and that there was room enough for all.
One day, while walking through town, Fr. O'Sullivan saw a shopkeeper, broomstick in hand, knocking down the conically shaped mud swallow nests that were under the eaves of his shop. The birds were darting back and forth through the air squealing over the destruction of their homes.
"What in the world are you doing?" Fr. O'Sullivan asked. "Why, these dirty birds are a nuisance and I am getting rid of them!" the shopkeeper responded. "But where can they go?" "I don't know and I don't care," he replied, slashing away with his pole. "But they've no business here, destroying my property."
Fr. O'Sullivan then said, "Come on swallows, I'll give you shelter. Come to the Mission. There's room enough there for all."
The next morning, the padre discovered the swallows busy building their nests outside the newly restored sacristy of Father Serra's Church and among the ruins of the Great Stone Church, toppled by the earthquake of 1812.
A bell wall was made to display the original bells of the first church that was ruined by an earthquake in 1812. The two larger bells were recast from the original.
Now visitors from around the world come to view the historic archeologically preserved ruins of that church in much the same way visitors tour the ruins of the Acropolis in Rome according to Mission literature.
First founded by Fr. Fermin Lasuen on Oct 30, 1775, the original Mission was abandoned and, later the following year, re-established by Fr. Junipero Serra during the Spanish colonization of the Americas.
Famous stone artisans began construction of the great stone church, in 1797, which took nine years to complete. Named after St. John, its tower bells, like clocks of present day, regulated the daily activities of the area residents including mealtimes, services, work, funerals, ship sightings and recreation times.
Mission historical records attribute 4,340 baptisms to the Mission friars during the years of 1776 to 1832, who performed the religious rite in the original baptismal font still located on the Mission grounds.
The beautiful baroque retablo is from Barcelona, Spain and is made of hand-carved wood with a gold leaf overlay and estimated to be over 350 years old according to the Mission website. Notice the portrait of Pope John Paul in the foreground.
However, a great earthquake jarred the California landscape on the feast day of the Immaculate Conception on December 8, 1812. The great walls of the largest stone church west of the Mississippi crumbled and the domes caved in killing 42 Native Americans who were attending morning service.
The Mission never rebuilt the old church, rather replaced it by the construction of a smaller church, which is now the oldest building in the state of California and is still standing on the Mission grounds according to Mission literature.
Because of the vast cultural and historical value of the Mission, the Mission Preservation Foundation undertook, and completed in 2004, a major $10 million archeological preservation of the buildings and grounds…just in time for the festival.
The flowers in the Mission garden are in full bloom during the festival season and it is the most beautiful time to visit, though worth seeing any time of year.
Third grade students in the Capistrano Schools make a tour every year during March or April as a part of the California Mission History curriculum. Here students visit the St. Francis Garden, which features a statue of the founder of the Franciscan order, St. Francis of Assisi.
“The mission has never been in such great condition as now and its fun to view the swallows nests throughout the mission,” Royal shared.
The price of admission includes a guided tour of the Mission, and every third grader in Capistrano County tours the mission in March or April of each year as part of the school curriculum to study California Mission history.
Spanish dancers perform a reenactment of the swallows' return each year, and the Mission hosts festivities, which include a St. Joseph's Day and Swallows Day Parade.
In addition, the adjacent Mission Parish School in conjunction with the Mission invites the public to celebrate the Mission’s history each November 1, and view the Mission San Juan Capistrano's Living History Society as they share historical information through stories, demonstrations and crafts.
Joann Royal stands before the completed painting, Mission Reflections (see first photo above) which sold at a juried benefit show for the Mission San Juan Capistrano.
“You can find a thousand paintings throughout the year. As the flowers at the Mission bloom during the different seasons it gets a different feel,” Royal explained. In addition, there are four or five major fountains with lily pads and koi fish, which is the subject of the featured painting above, titled Fountain Reflection.
Royal shared she has been painting for 20 years. She is committed to become a plein air painter in the professional style. She said she finds it challenging, yet is having more fun than she has had in her whole life.
Artists create plein air paintings out-of-doors and use smaller canvases in order to finish as the lighting changes over a two or three-hour time span. Royal said she later enlarges her paintings in her studio.
SOCALPAPA boasts 250 members, who hold monthly meetings to critique paintings and discuss the events in the art world according to Royal, who added the group puts on events to promote the financial support of organizations such as the Mission.
SOCALPAPA has supported the CSUF Arboretum and the Crystal Cove State Beach, a California State Park, by providing an art show to support the rebuilding of the Crystal Cove Bungalows, a little enclave of summer cottages explained Royal. Refer to Crystal Cove State Park.
In addition, the group helps raise money for the Newport Beach Back Bay Wildlife Reserve through an art sale hosted each October, and provides paintings for sale on display year-round in the Reserve’s Conservation Building.
Refer to Royal’s website on SOCALPAPA.com for October dates and agenda, email Royal or telephone 714-744-9581.
Finally, refer to Mission San Juan Capistrano for more information about the grounds tour and to obtain schedules of current events, or email Executive Director Mechelle Lawrence or telephone 949-234-1311.
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