Texas Heritage, Summer 2001 Page: 22
46 p. : ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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ViFrom left to right: Missions Ysleta,
Socorro, and ElcearioCL PASO
EL PASO MISSION
TRAIL
Though well off the tourist path, El
Paso's Mission Trail offers a chance for
those who enjoy a quieter pace to experience
some of the most stunningly beautiful
religious structures in Texas. The trail
includes Mission Ysleta, Mission
Socorro, and Chapel San Elceario.
www. missiontrail. com
MISSION
YSLETA
Mission Ysleta has seen its share of disaster.
Built in 1692 near the Rio Grande
River, which twice washed the chapel
away, the mission was rebuilt again in
1851. Using portions of the structure
that remained intact, and looking to
higher ground, a third church was completed,
and it is that building that survives
today. The shining silver dome was
added in the 1880s. The mission suffered
the last of its series of disasters in 1907
when a fire destroyed the roof and interior
of the church. Undaunted by the
calamity, the parishioners repaired all
damage within one year. Tradition, continuity,
perseverance, and strength are
all reflected in the silver dome of the
mission's bell tower which, through
three centuries of natural disaster, still
beckons parishioners to this place of
worship.MISSION
SOCORRO
Though there are some historic facts
about the Mission Socorro that are still
unclear, there are other pieces of information
that are known. Properly titled
Nuestra Sefiora de Limpia Concepcion
de Los Piros de Socorro del Sur (Our
Lady of the Immaculate Conception of
the Piros of Socorro of the South), the
mission derives its name from the
Socorro Mission of Socorro, New
Mexico. This was the ancestral home of
the Piro Indians who came to El Paso
Valley in the wake of the Pueblo
Rebellion.
Historians argue about the founding
date and location of the original structure,
but they know for sure that like
Ysleta, the mission at Socorro has been
plagued with tragedy. Construction of
the mission at its present site began in
1684 and was completed in 1692, but
that structure was destroyed by a Rio
Grande flood in 1740. The rebuilt mission
was also destroyed by a flooding river
in 1828 and replaced in 1843 by what is
now the main part of the present-day
structure.
'Visitors to the church today should
note the Indian-decorated vigas (carved
and painted ceiling beams, some of
which date from earlier structures.CHAPEL SAN
ELCEARIO
Originally established as a military garrison
to protect missions and settlements
along the Camino Real, Presidio Chapel
San Elceario was moved in 1789 from
Chihuahua to its present-day site at San
Elizario. Named for the French saint St.
Elzear, the town of San Elizario uses a
corrupted version of the original name,
while the chapel bears the original name.
With the outbreak of war between the
United States and Mexico in 1846, the
presidio chapel fell into ruin. When
Ysleta, Socorro, and San Elizario became
part of the United States, the citizens of
the area began efforts to rebuild the
chapel in 1853, but they soon outgrew
the small structure. A larger church, built
in 1877, still stands on the town's main
plaza, but a fire destroyed the original
interior of that structure in 1935, so the
present interiors are from 1944.
(OL1AD
PRESIDIO LA
BAHIA MISSION
ESPIRITU SANTO
Established near the town of Goliad in
1749, the Presidio La Bahia has been
owned by the Catholic Church since
1853. In the mid-1960s, the fort was
rebuilt during a restoration project to its
1836 appearance, based on documents
and archeological evidence dating fromHERITAGE E SUMMER 2001
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Texas Historical Foundation. Texas Heritage, Summer 2001, periodical, Summer 2001; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth45385/m1/22/: accessed April 23, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas Historical Foundation.