La Capilla del Gila
Posted by: 
leadhiker
N 33° 02.059 W 111° 23.088
12S E 464067 N 3655157
The 10-room “Capilla Complex” has served as a school
(St. Theresa’s Academy for Girls), a parish hall, a recreation center, a food distribution
center for the needy and indigent housing during the Depression.
Waymark Code: WM8QAN
Location: Arizona, United States
Date Posted: 05/02/2010
Views: 7
First church of the Assumption
This first Catholic Church in central Arizona, built in 1870 by Father Andre Echallier, was called "La Capilla del Gila". In 1883 a larger edifice commemorating the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, was constructed to the west: a convent was added to the original Capilla, which then became a school. After fire destroyed the new church in 1893, the old chapel served worshipers until the third church was dedicated in 1911. All the region's earliest Catholic Churches, including Phoenix and Tempe, were originally missions of this Florence parish.
This site is #4 on the self-guided Historic Florence Walking Tour.
Marker Name: La Capilla del Gila
Type of history commemorated: Place
County: Pinal
Name of any agency/ agencies setting marker:
Pinal County Historical Society and Arizona Historical Society.
Year placed: unknown
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Visit Instructions:
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