Mission Concepcion
a.k.a. Mission Nuestra Senora de la Purisima Concepcion de Acuna
807 Mission Rd., San Antonio, TXThe church is still used as an active church, and is open to visitors.
In 1727 the friars of the college of Queretaro decided to move their three missions that had been founded in 1716 in east Texas to San Antonio, where a fresh supply of Indians was available, with soldiers to keep them in line. On March 5, 1731 the missions of Concepcion, San Francisco de la Espada, and San Juan Capistrano were established close to the town, the closest,Concepcion being less than three miles away, and each was given a huge grant of land. The Indians that were converted nearly all died of the white man's diseases, and in addition suffered frequent attacks from hostile Apaches. 792 Indians had been baptized in 1762 and 586 had been buried. In 1783 there were 77 living at the mission, in 1792, 53; and in 1805, 41, and in 1819 there were not any. The church took about 20 years to build and was dedicated December 8, 1755. The facade was originally covered with brilliant quatre-foils and squares of red, blue, orange, and yellow. It was entirely abandoned as a church for three-quarters of a century, and as early as 1819. In the late 1840s U.S. troops were stationed there. It was later used as a cattle pen. Not until 1887 was it reopened and dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes. The mission is maintained in excellent condition. Still used as an active church, it is also open to visitors.
Bibliography
Texas, A Guide to the Lone Star State (American Guide Series) (New York,1959)
Hallenbeck, Cleve.Spanish Missions of the Old Southwest (N.Y.,1926)
Morrison,Hugh. Early American Architecture (New York,1952)
Newcomb, Rexford. Spanish Colonial Architecture in the U.S.(N.Y., 1939)
Bolton,H.E. Texas in the Middle Eighteenth Century (Berkeley,1915)
Casteneda. C.L. Our Catholic Heritage in Texas (Austin.1939-42)
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1970.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.