How did San Antonio, Texas, get its name?
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Can you tell me why
Texas named a city for St. Anthony?
According to the encyclopedias,
in 1691 a Spanish expedition camped at a little-known village that was in present-day
Texas. The New Catholic Encyclopedia explains that the Franciscan chaplain of
the expedition named the site for St. Anthony of Padua, whose feast was being celebrated
that day. It was not until 1718 that
a mission was established at San Antonio.
When the Republic of Texas and later the State of Texas took over the territory, there
already existed the Spanish-named city of San Antonio. A look at a map will tell you
the Spanish often named cities for a saint. Cities grew up around a Catholic mission
named for a saint and took the name of the mission.
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Monday, January 21, 2013
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