Spanish Corporal Juan Ballesteros and five men came to the site of San Juan Bautista Mission (“Saint John the Baptist”) in the late spring of 1797. In a month, they had erected a chapel, houses for themselves and the Padres, …
On July 25, 1797, Father Fermín Lasuén dedicated Mission San Miguel Arcángel in a fine valley near the juncture of the Salinas and Nacimiento Rivers. The Franciscan Fathers had chosen this spot because it was a stopping place halfway between …
Father Lasuén founded Mission San Fernando Rey de España on September 8, 1797. The Padres sought a location for a new mission to relieve the long journey between Mission San Gabriel and Mission San Buenaventura. Juan Francisco Reyes, the Alcalde …
Despite being the last founded in the south, Mission San Luis Rey de Francia, also known as the “King of the Missions” became the largest and most prosperous among all missions. The great quadrangle was 500 feet on a side. …
Mission Santa Inés Virgen y Mártir was founded on September 17, 1804, by the Franciscan Father Estévan Tapís. Located in rolling hills, which provide one of the loveliest settings of any mission, Santa Inés has been called the “Hidden Gem …
For many years, Mission San Rafael was all but forgotten. San Raphael’s Church, preserving at least its name in English, stood on the approximate site. Finally, a chapel, built to resemble existing pictures of the old mission church, was crowded …
Discouraged by the declining opportunity at Dolores Mission, a zealous young Padre named José Altimira founded Mission San Francisco Solano at Sonoma on July 4, 1823, without the knowledge of his Father’s Superiors. He was encouraged by Governor Arguello, who …