The Trinity Crowns the Queen of Heaven (Jer 7:18)
Angel Raphael with Fish (Tobit 5)
San Luis of the Apalachee is great place to visit, meditate, write and paint. The photos above
were taken on the Sabbath, 7/21/07. Here is a little about the
church complex:
1 - The Apalachee are the only native group in Florida who are known to
have solicited friars. It was never their intention to have a Spanish
garrison and settlers inhabit Apalachee Province. Following the revolt of
1647, the Apalachee consented to the presence of soldiers and a labor
tribute, although they pressed repeatedly to end the labor details and,
to some degree, remove the settlers and soldiers.
2 - The church complex consisted of three known structures; the church,
convento, and cocina. One document indicates that orders were issued to
build a stockade around the convent and church, and then extend it from
the religious complex to the fort. It is unclear whether this defensive
barrier was ever constructed. It is also possible that the religious
complex included a elevated storage structure or corn crib (garita).
3 - Although the church was supposedly burned in January, 1704, while
James Moore was here, there is no archaeological evidence that the church
at San Luis was rebuilt or refurbished. The church had plank walls and a
thatch roof with interior partitions that were constructed of wattle and
daub. The roof of the reconstructed church at San Luis is thatched with
some 42,000 palm fronds!
4 - The nave of the church was divided into three bays and was separated
from the sanctuary by a wooden railing. Within the sanctuary was an
altar, sacristy, and counter sacristy. More than 5,000 olive jar
fragments were found in the sanctuary and are thought to be the remains
of vessels used to hold water and wine used at Mass.
5 - In addition to housing the congregation, the floor of the nave served
as the mission cemetery. It is believed that between 700 and 900
individuals are buried beneath the floor of the church.
6 - Based on lists of church furnishings removed or destroyed when San
Luis was abandoned at the end of July, 1704, we believe that the interior
of the church was decorated with paintings and statues, and contained all
of the furnishings needed to conduct Mass. It probably also had a choir
loft, confessional, pulpit, and baptismal font. There were no pews or
benches in seventeenth century mission churches in Spanish Florida.
7 - The convento (friary) was located to the north of the church. It was
home to the friars, and probably served as a lodge for visiting
religious. Large quantities of beans and maize were recovered from the
floor of the convento suggesting that foodstuffs were stored in the
building.
8 - Relatively few European materials were found in the convento. Unlike
Spaniards living in the Hispanic village, friars living at San Luis used
few imported materials and relied primarily on Indian goods.
9 - Some of our most illuminating glimpes of mission life come from
documents written by friars and bishops. If you are not familiar with the
works of Fray Paiva, Fray Pareja, and Bishop Calderón, please ask to
borrow copies from the lending library.
10 - For a list of feast days that were to be celebrated by Spaniards and
Indians alike throughout La Florida, please consult "Synod of the Diocese
of Santiago de Cuba, Jamaica, Habana and Florida," written by Bishop Juan
Garcia de Palacios in 1682. In addition to the feast days listed in this
document, August 25, which was the feast day of St. Louis (or San Luis),
became the principal festival of the Apalachee.
For more information
http://www.flheritage.com/archaeology/sanluis/facts/
Excellent
Believers' Historic DVDs Gifts Sets
Word Studies in the
Greek New Testament
New Jerusalem Messianic Resources
