An estimated 1,700 parishioners and guests gathered Saturday in the historic El Modena district in Orange to dedicate La Purisima ... the mission-style, 16,500-square-foot, 1,200-seat church.

not the Catholic Church. Once spanning 300,000 acres, La Purísima Mission State Historic Park now has 1,928 acres and 25 miles of trails. Visitors can explore 37 restored and furnished rooms ...

Father Fermín Lasuén built La Purísima Mission on December 8, 1787, making it the 11th of 21 Spanish missions in California.

By Jan. 1, 1811, Padre Mariano Payèras of Mission La Purisíma ... the plaza church in the pueblo of Los Angeles. Payèras died of an infected leg in 1823 and is buried at Purisima.