Mission San Gabriel Arcangel festivities

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Exterior view of the western end of Mission San Gabriel Arcangel, showing banners hanging below the niches and large window. The banner above the main entrance reads: "Welcome Fiesta", possibly announcing "La Fiesta de San Gabriel" - an annual celebration which re-enacts Felipe de Neve's founding of Los Angeles on September 4, 1781. An exterior staircase (barely visible on the left corner, behind the tree) leads to the choir loft. The Moorish influence of the mission is evidenced by the Buttressed walls, vaulted roof, and fortress-like appearance. The walls are original and are over four feet thick, with sections through the buttresses as much as seven feet thick. Architecturally, the San Gabriel Mission is unique among the California Missions. Mission San Gabriel Arcangel, also known as the San Gabriel Mission, is a former Roman Catholic mission and current historic landmark it was the fourth of 21 California missions to be founded.