Mission San Fernando Rey de España facts for kids

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"Mission San Fernando" redirects here. For the mission in Baja California, see Misión San Fernando Rey de España de Velicatá. For the ship, see USNS Mission San Fernando.

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Mission San Fernando Rey de España
Former U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Mission San Fernando Rey de España, c. 1885
Location in San Fernando Valley
Location	15151 San Fernando Mission Blvd. Los Angeles, California 91345
Coordinates	34°16′23″N 118°27′40″W / 34.2731°N 118.4612°W / 34.2731; -118.4612
Name as founded	La Misión del Señor Fernando, Rey de España
English translation	The Mission of Saint Ferdinand, King of Spain
Patron	Ferdinand III of Castile
Nickname(s)	"Mission of the Valley"
Founding date	8 September 1797
Founding priest(s)	Father Fermín Lasuén
Founding Order	Seventeenth
Military district	Second
Native tribe(s) Spanish name(s)	Tataviam, Tongva Fernandeño, Gabrieleño
Native place name(s)	'Achooykomenga, Pasheeknga
Baptisms	2,784
Marriages	827
Burials	1,983
Secularized	1834 (Rancho Ex-Mission San Fernando)
Returned to the Church	1861
Governing body	Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles
Current use	Chapel-of-ease/Museum

Designated	1971
Delisted	1974
Reference no.	71001076


U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Designated	27 October 1988
Reference no.	88002147


California Historical Landmark
Reference no.	#157


Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument
Reference no.	23

Mission San Fernando Rey de España is a historic Spanish mission located in Mission Hills, Los Angeles, California. It was founded on September 8, 1797. This mission was the 17th of 21 Spanish missions built in Alta California.

The mission is named after Saint Ferdinand, a king of Spain. It also gave its name to the nearby city of San Fernando and the large San Fernando Valley.

In 1834, the mission was taken over by the government. It was returned to the Catholic Church in 1861. By 1920, it became a working church again. Today, the mission grounds are a museum. The church is used as a chapel of ease for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

History of the Mission
Mission Industries and Life
Mission Bells
Gallery
See also

History of the Mission

A view of the Convento building.

In 1769, the Spanish Portolà expedition explored inland California for the first time. On August 7, they camped near where the mission would later be built. A missionary named Fray Juan Crespí wrote in his diary that the camp was "at the foot of the mountains."

Mission Founding

Mission San Fernando Rey de España was the 17th of 21 Franciscan missions. These missions were built in Alta California. The land chosen for the mission belonged to Francisco Reyes. He was the Alcalde (mayor) of Pueblo de Los Ángeles.

This land included a farming area called Achooykomenga. It was worked by Ventureño Chumash, Fernandeño (Tongva), and Tataviam people. The mission leaders approved this site. After talks with Reyes, the land was acquired.

Father Fermín Lasuén founded the mission on September 8, 1797. He was helped by Fray Francisco Dumetz. Soldiers and native people were present for the ceremony. The mission was dedicated to San Fernando Rey de España. On the very first day, ten children were baptized.

By the end of 1797, 55 new converts, called neophytes, lived at the mission. By 1800, there were 310 neophytes. The first mission church was an adobe building, about 22 feet long. It was finished months after the mission started. Within two years, it was too small. A second, larger adobe church was built. It was about 63 by 20 feet.

The 1800s at the Mission

In 1801, a large addition was built for the workshops. It formed the south wing of the workshop courtyard. This addition included places for making wine and aguardiente (a type of brandy). It also had rooms for missionaries and a weaving room. There was a dormitory for neophyte girls and single women.

In 1802, the workshop courtyard was made into a square. An east wing was added. This wing had another granary, a flour mill, and a candle factory. It also included a carpentry shop.

Construction on the third church began in 1804. A Spanish carpenter, Manuel Gutiérrez, designed this church. It was part of the north wing, which was about 365 feet long. This wing also included the sacristy and shops for carpentry, carts, and plows.

Around 1804, about seventy adobe rooms were built for the native neophytes. These rooms were shaped like a U. They were located southwest of the main convento building. Other buildings were added for storing olives and grain. There were also horse stables, a tannery, and a soap factory.

The new church was finished in 1806. It was made of adobe with a tile roof. It measured about 165 by 38 feet. The bell tower was built next to the church. The church was blessed on December 6, 1806.

During the first ten years of the 1800s, the neophyte population grew to 955. Many baptisms took place. In 1804, there was a disagreement over land. The mission leaders successfully stopped the granting of Rancho Camulos to Francisco Ávila.

The 1810s at the Mission

By the 1810s, Spain was facing wars. Support for the missions from the Spanish government decreased. The missions had to become more self-sufficient. Soldiers' wages were no longer paid. This caused problems for the mission communities.

A convento building, where the friars lived, started construction in 1810. A master carpenter, Salvador Carabantes, worked on it until 1813. The building continued to grow as materials became available.

On December 21, 1812, an earthquake hit the area. It damaged the church. Twenty new beams were needed to support its walls. Before 1818, a new chapel was completed. In 1818, another soap factory was built. This factory is still visible today in Brand Park.

Between 1810 and 1820, the mission's population reached its highest point of 1,080 in 1819. After that, it began to decline. The soldiers' unpaid wages meant they relied more on supplies from the missions. This put more pressure on the native workers. They faced harder conditions. Some even left the missions.

Mexican Rule Begins

In 1821, Mexico gained independence from Spain. Alta California became a Mexican territory. The missions continued under Mexican rule.

A friar named Fray Ibarra complained that soldiers were causing problems. They were selling alcohol and lending horses to the native people. In 1825, he said the soldiers were a "curse" to the mission. He felt they should work instead of living off the native people. He said they treated the native people like slaves. This led to a strong response from Captain Guerra.

Mission Changes in the 1830s

Governor José Figeroa officially took control of the mission in October 1834. This process was called secularization. The mission became a parish church. Lieutenant Antonio del Valle became the mission's manager. Fray Ibarra did not agree with this appointment.

After secularization, many native people returned to their lands. Others stayed to work on ranches near the mission. They received low wages and some shelter. Fray Ibarra continued his work alone until 1835. He then retired to Mexico.

In 1842, before the California Gold Rush, gold was discovered near the mission. This was the first gold discovery in Alta California. The place was named Placerita Canyon. However, only small amounts of gold were found there.

In 1845, Governor Pío Pico put the mission buildings up for sale. In 1846, the mission became the main office for the Rancho Ex-Mission San Fernando. The former convento became a storage room. It was also living quarters for ranch workers. The mission buildings were not well cared for.

Later History of the Mission

In the late 1800s, the mission was used in different ways. North of the mission was Lopez Station for the Butterfield Stage Lines. It was also a warehouse. In 1896, the main courtyard was used as a hog farm.

In 1861, the mission buildings and 75 acres of land were returned to the church. This happened after Charles Fletcher Lummis worked to preserve them. The buildings were falling apart. Settlers were taking beams, tiles, and nails from the church.

San Fernando's church became a working church again in 1923. This was when the Oblate priests arrived. Many efforts were made to restore the mission. A large gift from the Hearst Foundation in the 1940s finally helped restore it.

The mission museum now holds valuable items from the Mexican church. These items were moved during the Cristero revolt. The museum also has part of the Doheny library.

The church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. However, it was badly damaged by the 1971 San Fernando earthquake. It was completely rebuilt. Repairs were finished in 1974. Today, it is still well cared for and used as a chapel-of-ease. The Convento Building was also listed separately in 1988.

In 2003, comedian Bob Hope was buried in the Bob Hope Memorial Gardens. His wife, Dolores Hope, was buried there in 2011.

Mission Industries and Life

The missions had two main goals. First, they wanted to spread Christianity. Second, they aimed to create a Spanish colony. It was hard to get supplies by sea. So, the missions had to become self-sufficient quickly.

To do this, native people were taught European farming methods. They learned how to raise animals. They also learned skills like making candles.

The San Fernando Mission was known for its good wines. Around the mission walls, there were over 32,000 grapevines. The native people used these to make wine. At its peak, the mission produced about 2,000 gallons of wine. They also made 2,000 gallons of aguardiente.

The mission also had about 70 acres of olive trees. The olives were collected and crushed to make olive oil. The men worked in the fields or workshops. They cared for cattle, horses, and sheep. They also grew wheat, barley, peas, beans, corn, figs, and peaches. The women worked in weaving rooms. They produced cloth for the mission. Sundays and holy days were for rest and prayer.

Mission Bells

Bells were very important to daily life at any mission. They were rung for many reasons. Bells called residents to meals, work, and religious services. They were rung during births and funerals. They also signaled when a ship or missionary was arriving. Newcomers were taught the special ways to ring the mission bells. The native people who lived at the mission after baptism were called neophytes. From 1769 to 1931, there were five bells at the mission.

In 1920, a 100-pound bell was found in an orange grove near the mission. It had a Russian inscription. It said: "In the Year 1796, in the month of January, this bell was cast on the Island of Kodiak by the blessing of Archimandrite Joaseph, during the sojourn of Alexsandr Baranov." No one knows how this Russian Orthodox bell from Kodiak, Alaska ended up at a Catholic mission in Southern California.

Gallery

A view looking down an exterior corridor at Mission San Fernando Rey de España, a common architectural feature of the Spanish Missions
A view of the same colonnade as at left, c. 1900
The fountain opposite San Fernando Mission Boulevard
The present-day Mission façade
San Fernando Mission Church interior
A statue of Saint Father Junípero Serra and a native child at Mission San Fernando
Mission San Fernando Postcard, c. 1900
Lopez Station in the 1860s