Medieval Orange County Guide

Orange County, California rests on the Pacific coast, about halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego. The weather feels like paradise but the cities and buildings feel strangely modern, at least to a transplanted East-coaster like myself used to finding 200-year-old cemeteries and historic landmarks every other block. The urbanization (and suburbanization) that swept through these former ranch lands in the last half of the 20th century left the more historic towns surrounded by a sea of crisp housing developments and shopping centers interwoven with concrete highway overpasses. In a place that seemingly sprung up overnight and which centers around modern convenience, is there any connection to history?

I was inspired by this Medieval New York Guide to create a Medieval Orange County Guide. We are never far from the history and culture of our ancestors. In fact, even medieval life continues to influence our present lives. In my curiosity about all things medieval, I hope to examine my surroundings and discover a secret land of stone castles and church towers amidst the more obvious malls and beaches.

I'll write notes and provide links to more information under the following categories, and will add more as I discover more:

I. Medieval Architecture
II. Medieval Life and Technology
III. Medieval Place Names
IV. Medieval Religious Heritage
V. Medieval Art/Museums
VI. Medieval Music
VII. Medieval Studies
VIII. Medieval Entertainment

Readers: If you have any suggestions for things I should include, feel free to leave me a comment. Thank you very much!

-----

I. Medieval Architecture

Gothic (or more properly speaking, neo-gothic)

• St. John's Lutheran Church - Orange, CA


• PJ's Abbey Restaurant (formerly First Baptist Church of Orange) - Orange, CA


• First Church of Religious Science - Fullerton, CA

Victorian Gothic (the wooden home architecture spin-off of neo-gothic)

• Dr. Howe-Waffle's House - Santa Ana, CA


• Victorian Manor Tea House - Orange, CA

Baroque (not properly medieval, but the style followed immediately on the heels of the high middle ages/renaissance era)

• Basilica of San Juan Capistrano - San Juan Capistrano, CA


• Fr. Serra Chapel (SJC Mission complex) - San Juan Capistrano, CA

Byzantine (from the Medieval East)

• St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox - Anaheim, CA


• St. Paul's Greek Orthodox - Irvine, CA

Cathedrals

• Cathedrals of California website

Castles

• Sleeping Beauty's Castle, Disneyland - Anaheim, CA


• Medieval Times - Buena Park, CA


• Boomers! (miniature golf hole castle) - Irvine, CA

Labyrinths

• St. George Labyrinth, Bourne Hall - Laguna Hills, CA

Half-timbered cottages

• Old World Village - Huntington Beach, CA


• Various storefronts - Westminster, CA

-----

II. Medieval Life and Technology

Monastic Life:
St. Michael's Abbey - Silverado, CA

Beer brewing:
O'Shea's Brewing Company - Laguna Niguel, CA
(My husband gets all of his home-brewing supplies here!)

Society for Creative Anachronism:
Kingdom of Caid - Southern, CA

-----

III. Medieval Place Names

San Juan Capistrano - named for St. John Capistrano a medieval Franciscan monk and war hero.

San Clemente - shares a name with a Basilica in Rome, Italy and several saints (including 1 pope).

Westminster - shares a name with the part of central London which is famous for its palace, cathedral and abbey.

-----

IV. Medieval Religious Heritage
The following Christian faith traditions have can trace themselves back at least to Europe in the 1500's if not much earlier. This is not an exhaustive list or directory, just a sample of major categories:

Catholic:
Roman Catholic
Byzantine Catholic

Orthodox:
Greek

Protestant:
Episcopal
Lutheran
Presbyterian

-----

V. Medieval Art/Museums

The Getty Museum (Los Angeles)
Orange County is home to a vibrant arts scene. However, for anything older than Impressionism, your best bet is to drive an hour north on 405, to the Getty museum in L.A. County. The building itself is quite modern, but riding the tram up to the museum's mountain ridge perch is really like leaving the everyday world behind. Once inside, the stunning collection of manuscripts, paintings, and altarpieces will definitely take you back in time. There are few things that can compare to seeing the work of medieval craftsmen and monks up close.

-----

VI. Medieval Music

Orange County Catholic Chorale
Most Classical sacred music pieces (by the likes of Beethoven, Mozart, etc.) are settings for the Catholic Mass, or other liturgical hymns.

The Rudder: Orthodox streaming internet radio by St. Paul's Orthodox Church, Irvine, CA. Programming features some traditional Orthodox hymns; companion station to The Ark which features contemporary Orthodox music.

St. Michael's Abbey, Silverado, CA
Norbertine Liturgy
Gregorian Chant CD's

St. John the Baptist, Costa Mesa, CA
Latin Mass, 12:30pm Sundays

[note: as I've hinted in the descriptions above, the best way to experience music of the Middle Ages is to find it in its original context by simply attending a church with a traditional liturgy, whether a Catholic Latin Mass, an Orthodox Divine Liturgy, or a vespers service in either tradition.]

-----

VII. Medieval Studies

UCI Medieval Studies - Irvine, CA

-----

VIII. Medieval Entertainment

Disneyland - Anaheim, CA
Sleeping Beauty's Castle & Storybook Land

Medieval Times - Buena Park, CA
Jousting and feasting!

Boomers! - Irvine, CA
King Arthur's Carnival kiddie rides, plus miniature golf with castle hole.

Old World Village - Huntington Beach, CA
Delicious German food and hefeweizen beer in a village-like setting. Pretend you're on vacation in Munich for an hour or two.