Pedro Estévan Tápis
Encyclopedia
Father Pedro Estévan Tápis (August 25, 1754 – November 3, 1825) was a Spanish
missionary
to the Americas.
He was born at Santa Coloma de Farnes in Catalonia
, Spain
and joined the Franciscan
order at Genoa on 22 January 1778. Father Tápis travelled to Mexico
in 1786, then on to California
in 1790 where he worked at the following missions:
When Father Lasuén died in 1803, Father Tápis took over as acting Father-President of the California mission chain
(a post he was elected to three times, holding the office from 1803 to 1812). During his tenure, Father Tápis directed the founding of Mission Santa Inés in 1804. Father Tápis (who had a special talent for music) retired in 1812, and joined Father de la Cuesta at Mission San Juan Bautista in 1815 to teach singing to the Indians. He created a system using colors
for different types of music notes which made it easier for the novices to follow, and his choir of Native American boys performed for many visitors, earning the San Juan Bautista Mission the nickname "Mission of Music." Two of his handwritten choir books are preserved at the San Juan Bautista Museum.
When Father Tapis died in 1825 he was buried on the Mission San Juan Bautista grounds.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
to the Americas.
He was born at Santa Coloma de Farnes in Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and joined the Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
order at Genoa on 22 January 1778. Father Tápis travelled to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
in 1786, then on to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in 1790 where he worked at the following missions:
- Mission San Luis Obispo de TolosaMission San Luis Obispo de TolosaMission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa was founded 1772 on the Central Coast of California on a site located halfway between Santa Barbara and Monterey. It was named after Saint Louis of Anjou, the bishop of Toulouse. The Mission church of San Luis Obispo is unusual in its design in that its...
(1790–1793) - Mission Santa BarbaraMission Santa BarbaraIn 1840, Alta California and Baja California were removed from the Diocese of Sonora to form the Diocese of Both Californias. Bishop Francisco Garcia Diego y Moreno, OFM, established his cathedra at Mission Santa Barbara, making the chapel the pro-cathedral of the diocese until 1849...
(1793–1806) - Mission San Carlos Borromeo de CarmeloMission San Carlos Borromeo de CarmeloMission San Carlos Borroméo del río Carmelo, also known as the Carmel Mission, is a Roman Catholic mission church in Carmel, California. It is on the National Register of Historic Places and a U.S...
(1806–1811) - Mission La Purísima ConcepciónMission La Purísima ConcepciónMission La Purisima Concepción, or La Purisima Mission, with the original Spanish name being La Misión de La Purísima Concepción de la Santísima Virgen María, was founded on the Feast Day of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin on December 8, 1787...
(1812–1813) - Mission Santa InésMission Santa InésMission Santa Inés was founded on September 17, 1804 by Father Estévan Tapís, who had succeeded Father Fermín Lasuén as President of the California mission chain...
(1813–1814) - Mission San Juan BautistaMission San Juan BautistaMission San Juan Bautista was founded on June 24, 1797 in what is now the San Juan Bautista Historic District of San Juan Bautista, California. Barracks for the soldiers, a nunnery, the Jose Castro House, and other buildings were constructed around a large grassy plaza in front of the church and...
(1815–1825)
When Father Lasuén died in 1803, Father Tápis took over as acting Father-President of the California mission chain
Spanish missions in California
The Spanish missions in California comprise a series of religious and military outposts established by Spanish Catholics of the Franciscan Order between 1769 and 1823 to spread the Christian faith among the local Native Americans. The missions represented the first major effort by Europeans to...
(a post he was elected to three times, holding the office from 1803 to 1812). During his tenure, Father Tápis directed the founding of Mission Santa Inés in 1804. Father Tápis (who had a special talent for music) retired in 1812, and joined Father de la Cuesta at Mission San Juan Bautista in 1815 to teach singing to the Indians. He created a system using colors
for different types of music notes which made it easier for the novices to follow, and his choir of Native American boys performed for many visitors, earning the San Juan Bautista Mission the nickname "Mission of Music." Two of his handwritten choir books are preserved at the San Juan Bautista Museum.
When Father Tapis died in 1825 he was buried on the Mission San Juan Bautista grounds.