Saint Teresa of Avila Church built in 1860 with redwood lumber and on land given by pioneer surveyor Jasper O’Farrell the State Senator for Sonoma County. It’s the oldest church in continuous use in Sonoma County. Next to the church is the Potter School used by English director Alfred Hitchcock in his film “The Birds” (1963). The Church makes an appearance in this film in the background. Hitchcock attended church services during the filming. The church had inspired another artist ten years earlier, Ansel Adam, a classic American photographer to produce his memorable B&W photograph of the ‘Church and Road’ in 1953. As for the saint that the church was named after Saint Teresa (1515 - 1582), she was a Spanish mystic, an influential Carmelite nun and writer. “To have courage for whatever comes in life - everything lies in that.” St Teresa. Bodega, California, USA, 1999
Location: Bodega, California, USA
Photographer: Richard Keith Wolff
