California Mission Fountain

California Mission Fountain – a close-up of a water lily in the fountain at Mission San Miguel

California Mission Fountain – A water lily floating in the fountain at Mission San Miguel

The California missions are very photogenic and I find it to be so every time I visit one of them.

I especially like the way that these places have weathered the passage of time. Some of the missions have done that weathering better than others, but the renovations and reconstructions that have taken place have thankfully preserved the essence of these beautiful places as a testament to the founding of California.

The website for the Mission San Miguel has a page of old photos from the Library of Congress, some taken nearly 100 years ago. The old photos of the front of the mission complex don’t show a fountain. The present fountain is perhaps only 80 years old or so.

It was patterned after one of the original fountains at Mission Santa Barbara.

To him that thirsteth, I will give of the fountain of the water of life, freely. Rev. 21:6

Fountains are one of the things in life that hold great meaning. Especially in a hot, dry climate like California or the Holy Land, fountains represent everything that satisfies or refreshes us.

Once we have drunk our fill and our thirst slaked, further refreshment takes place just by sitting near the coolness of the flowing water and being lulled by the sound of the drops.

Beyond their function as a source of drinking water and lovely sounds, fountains also provide cooling to the immediate area.

They are found in gardens throughout the Mediterranean world for this reason especially. As the water flows from the top of the fountain down to the pool, some of it evaporates and thereby carrying away a sizable amount of heat with it.

This is exactly the function that perspiration accomplishes for the human body.