Photograph courtesy of Fennell family collection, Charles Fennell, early 20th century.  

California's Hidden Sacred Mural 

Projection of Sacred Hearts onto Basilica Dome, 2004

California's Hidden Sacred Mural:
​The History of the Painted Adobe Reredos at Mission Dolores 
Read the article here  

Research Published in Journal of the West
It has been 15 years since I first stood above the altar screen of San Francisco's, Mission Dolores, lowered a camera and began an effort to record the hidden painting. This sacred artwork dates to the early years when the Spanish colonized indigenous California.

This month an article that I've written about the historic artwork with Jonathan Cordero, PhD,  a sociologist and descendant of San Francisco peninsula Native Californians, will be published in Journal of the West.

Together we have written a history of the artwork, described its most likely painters, and the invaluable history of those who preserved it. Our article, California’s Hidden Sacred Mural: The History of the Painted Adobe Reredos at Mission Dolores, will be published in the upcoming Fall issue, Vol. 57, No. 4 of Journal of the West.  You can purchase the issue here.

Ben Wood, January 2019

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Selected Articles and Related Information

​Association of Ramaytush Ohlone Association Website

Ben Wood, Projecting History in Public Space
​
Mission Dolores Mural Project Website

"The Hidden Mural at Mission Dolores", Historical Essay

"New Mission District mural brings to life what used to lie beneath San Francisco", NBC Bay Area News 2011

"Mission Dolores mural now a piece of art history", San Francisco Chronicle, 2011

"Centuries-old murals revealed in Mission Dolores / Indians' hidden paintings open window into S.F.'s sacred past", San Francisco Chronicle 2004