Cracked mission bell recast from original bell

Verdin cast a replica bell (left) to replace the cracked bell at the Mission San Antonio de Padua (right). The old bell was used as the pattern to create an exact replica. The original bronze bell in the center niche of the campanaro was cast especially for this mission and is the first mission bell made in California. It is 24 inches in diameter and weighs 500 pounds.

Located on eighty pristine acres, Mission San Antonio de Padua sits within the “Valley of the Oaks” on California’s scenic Central Coast. Founded as California’s third mission in 1771, it has been said that of all the California missions, San Antonio de Padua is virtually unchanged for more than two centuries.