Antonio Margil de Jesus was born in Valencia, Spain, on August 18, 1657. As a young boy, Margil expressed his desire to become a Franciscan. On April 22, 1673, he received the order's habit at La Corona de Cristo in Valencia. Then at the age of twenty-five, he received Holy Orders and soon accepted the challenge of missionary work in New Spain. He also spent time as a missionary in Yucatán, Costa Rica, and Guatemala. After a brief illness in early 1716, he traveled to East Texas to set up Franciscan missions. When he arrived in July, Margil supervised the founding of Nuestra Señora de Los Dolores and San Miguel de Los Adaes. Then in February of 1720, he founded at San Antonio, the most successful of all Texas missions, San José y San Miguel de Aguayo. Even though his career in Texas was short, he is one of the most famous missionaries to serve in Texas. [2]

The Fray Antonio Margil de Jesus statue is located on the grounds of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Nacogdoches, Texas (2508 Appleby Sand Road). The statue's dedication was in 1976, and Hispanic artist Antonio Mendoza sculpted the bronze statue. [3]

For more (including 4 images) view the original article

In 1729 Antonio Gil Y’Barbo was born in Los Adaes, Louisiana, to Mathieu Antonio and Juana (Hernández) Ibarvo. The Spanish Government had sent his parents from Andalusia, Spain, to the then province of Texas, in 1725, where eventually the spelling of Ibarvo changed to Y’Barbo. [1]

Antonio Gil Y’Barbo was a Spanish lieutenant governor. In 1779 he settled at an old abandoned Spanish mission, where he built a town called Nacogdoches, which today is known as the oldest town in Texas. The new town was at the intersection of El Camino Real De Los Tejas and La Calle de Norte. When accused of smuggling in 1791, Antonio Gil Y’Barbo left Nacogdoches, forbidden to return. [2]

Before his exile in 1791, Antonio Gil Y’Barbo had built a stone house used as a trading post. The original stone house was demolished in 1902 and then reconstructed in 1907. In 1936, as a part of the Texas Centennial Celebration, the state built a replica of the original building on the campus of Stephen F. Austin State Teachers College. Today, the Old Stone Fort is a museum on the campus of Stephen F. Austin State University. [2]

Friends of Historic Nacogdoches, Inc. sponsored the bronze statue sculpted by Ernest Roberge Jr. (1936-2013), and he completed it in 2000. Visitors can view the statue in downtown Nacogdoches in front of the Charles Bright Visitor Center (Nacogdoches Convention and Visitors Bureau). [3]

For more (including 4 images) view the original article