SE Corner of  Main Street and 2nd Street

St. Agnes Catholic Church
Zamora, California

"A post office opened in Prairie in 1857, changed its name to Black's Station  in 1876, and to Zamora in 1915....The town lends its name to a type of soil... grayish brown, slightly acid loam...used for growing orchards...

"Zamora...is a vibrant but unincorporated community... on Interstate 5... in the northern part of (California).... Zamora "was once a thriving little town with a hotel, two stores, a jail, blacksmith shops, a barbershop, a butcher shop, a medical office, a railroad depot, telegraph office, town hall, IOOF building, post office and six warehouses. There were schools and churches there, too. In 1949 and 1969 modern highways rolled through cutting the heart from the town. What was left was a town with 'no services', only a rebuilt IOOF building, a rebuilt town hall, the planing mill and St Agnes Catholic Church, the school building plus a few houses. But the pulse of the community does not stop with the removal of its heart." (Link 1.)

 "As of 1994, (included in) the following families (that) had owned land or lived in Zamora District for three or more generations (were those of)  Horgan, (and) Slaven... Bill and Joan Slaven raise sheep and world renowned border collies. Michael and Bridget Slaven, from County Tyrone, Ireland settled in Zamora's rolling hills in late 1800s. Their rolling hills pasture-land is home to Slaven's annual Zamora Hills Sheep Dog Trials.... These trials are one of the best known sheep dog trials in North America." (Link 1.) 

In 1908 these two families built St. Anges Catholic Church. On Christmas day 1912 one of the families daughters was baptised in the church.(REF.)

St. Agnes statue

The statue of St. Agnes in front of the church was added in 2004.  It was dedicated by the Bishop of Sacramento. (See plaque in photo below.)

Dedication plaque on statue base

Leading from the church and surrounding the statue is a memorial path outlined in red brick.  Many of the bricks have dedications and memorials. (See photos below.)

Memorial path to St. Agnes statue

 Memorial brick in path to the St Agnes statue

St. Agnes Catholic Church is unique in that the steeple/bell tower are placed at the back of the church. (See top photo.)  This original to the 1908 building.  

Pointed front window and marque

Other features of St Agnes are the pointed side and front windows, the round center Celtic window above the double front doors, and the wrought iron crosses decorating the front stair railings.

 Round Celtic window above the front doors

Cross detailing on front stair railings

Photos: Taken in June 2013 by SW.
Reference: Interview with Slaven/Horgan relative.

Link 1: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zamora,_California
Link 2: http://www.cagenweb.com/yolo/yol_co_photos/zamora.htm

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Prayer

God, be with the persecuted Christians through out the world. Amen