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Mission San Francisco Solano
Mission San Francisco Solano was founded in Sonoma July 4, 1823 by Father Jose Altimira and named for Saint Francis Solano, missionary to the Peruvian Indians. The mission was dedicated in 1824 and the original church was replaced in 1827 by a larger church. The mission was the last to be founded and the northernmost. […]
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Mission San Rafael Arcángel
Mission San Rafael Arcángel, twentieth in the California Mission Chain, was founded on December 14, 1817 by Father Vicente de Sarria and named Saint Raphael the Archangel, patron of good health. The mission was initially established as a convalescent hospital for the ailing Native Americans converts living at the nearby Mission San Francisco de Asis (Mission Dolores). […]
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Mission Santa Inés
Mission Santa Inés, founded in 1804, was the nineteenth mission dedicated in the State of California. It completed the chain between San Francisco and San Diego. The mission’s inland location in a fertile valley allowed for prosperity and rapid expansion. It became known for its large herds of livestock and its rich crops. Travelers were rare […]
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Mission San Luis Rey de Francia
Mission San Luis Rey de Francia, also known as Mission San Luis Rey or San Luis Rey Mission Church, was founded on June 13, 1798 by Father Fermin Lasuén and named for Louis IX, King of France (1215-1270). The mission was eighteenth in the California Mission Chain and closed the critical gap between Mission San […]
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Mission San Fernando Rey de España
Mission San Fernando Rey de España was founded in 1797, the seventeenth mission in the chain. The location in San Fernando was a prime spot, along the main highway leading to Los Angeles. This made it a convenient resting place for weary travelers. After the first buildings were completed, more and more buildings had to […]
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Mission San Miguel Arcángel
Mission San Miguel Arcángel, sixteenth in the Chain of California Missions, was founded on July 25, 1797 by Father Fermin Francisco de Lasuén and named for Saint Michael the Archangel, the “Most Glorious Prince of the Celestial Militia”. The location was chosen two years earlier and provided an additional stop on the two-days journey between […]
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Mission San Juan Bautista
Mission San Juan Bautista was founded June 24, 1797 by Father Fermin Lasuén. A year later, in 1798, the first church was complete. Named after John the Baptist, Mission San Juan Bautista was located north of Salinas and ranked fifteenth in the California Mission Chain. The second, present church, was begun in 1803 and dedicated in […]
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Mission San José
Mission San José was founded on June 11th, 1797 by Father Fermin Lasuén and named for Saint Joseph. The mission is fourteenth in the California Mission Chain. In September 1797 the first church was already completed and in 1809 a new building was dedicated. Although Mission San José was originally planned as a military base […]
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Mission Nuestra Señora de la Soledad
Mission Nuestra Senora de la Soledad was founded October 9th, 1791 by Father Fermin Lasuén and named Our Lade of Solitude. It is thirteenth in the chain of the missions. In 1797 the first church was completed and enlarged in 1805. Located in a lonely, desolated site in the Salinas Valley, the mission survived under […]
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Mission Santa Cruz
Mission Santa Cruz, located in Santa Cruz on the coast, was the twelfth mission in the chain. It was founded in 1791. Although started in favorable conditions, a series of misfortunes prevented Mission Santa Cruz from real success and prosperity. The total population of the mission reached five hundred at its height. The greatest problem […]