Sacred Garden, San Juan Capistrano

By David Pearce

This is the enclosure behind the campanario, or bell wall, at Mission San Juan Capistrano in southern California. It is called the Sacred Garden, and access is through this austere brick arch with keystone and cross. In the center of the small interior courtyard is a fountain. To the right is the exterior wall of the Serra Chapel, built in 1777, the oldest building still in use in California.