Mission San Francisco Solano facts for kids
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 Location in California
Location in the United States
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| Location | 114 E Spain St Sonoma, California |
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| Coordinates | 38°17′38″N 122°27′21″W / 38.29389°N 122.45583°W |
| Founding date | July 4, 1823 |
| Founding priest(s) | Father José Altimíra |
| Founding Order | 21 |
| Military district | Fourth |
| Native tribe(s) Spanish name(s) |
Coast Miwok, Patwin, Pomo, Suisunes, Wappo |
| Native place name(s) | Huchi |
| Baptisms | 1,563 total |
| Marriages | 359 total |
| Burials | 896 total |
| Neophyte population | 996 in 1832 |
| Governing body | California Department of Parks and Recreation |
| Current use | Museum |
| Reference no. |
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| Website | |
| http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=479 | |
Mission San Francisco Solano was the very last Spanish mission built in Alta California. It was named after Saint Francis Solanus. This mission was special because it was the only one built after Mexico became independent from Spain.
There were two main reasons for building Mission San Francisco Solano. First, the governor of California wanted more Mexican people to live in northern California. This was to keep an eye on the Russian settlement at Fort Ross. Second, a young Franciscan priest, Father José Altimira, wanted to move from Mission San Francisco de Asís. He hoped to find a place with better weather and more people to teach about Christianity.
Even though it only operated for eleven years, the mission was quite successful. Today, Mission San Francisco Solano is part of the Sonoma State Historic Park. You can visit it in the city of Sonoma, California.
Contents
Mission History
The mission was started and run by priests and friars. Friars are members of religious groups who often travel and teach.
Father Altimira's Plan
The mission where Father José Altimira was working, Mission San Francisco de Asís, was not doing well. At the same time, California Governor Luis Antonio Argüello wanted to stop the Russians from moving further inland from Bodega Bay and Fort Ross.
Father Altimira and Governor Argüello came up with a plan. They wanted to move Mission San Francisco de Asís and a smaller mission called San Rafael asistencia to a new spot north of the bay. They presented their idea to the church leaders and the local government.
In 1823, Father Altimira started exploring land for the new mission. He did this while waiting for official permission. In August 1823, he returned with soldiers and "neophytes." Neophytes were people new to the Christian religion from Mission San Francisco de Asís.
The church leaders decided that the old Mission San Francisco de Asís would stay open. Also, San Rafael Asistencia had already become a full mission, Mission San Rafael Arcángel. So, they needed a new name for the new mission. Altimira chose San Francisco Solano, a Franciscan missionary from the 1600s. His group of soldiers and neophytes then began building Mission San Francisco Solano.
The mission grew for a few years. But in 1826, an argument started about sharing the harvest. Native people who did not live at the mission were unhappy with their pay. They burned some of the wooden buildings. Father Altimira then left for Mission San Rafael Arcángel with some loyal neophytes.
Father Fortuni Takes Over
Father Buenaventura Fortuni was an older Spanish Franciscan priest. He had been working at Mission San José. He was sent to replace Father Altimira. Father Fortuni quickly brought back order and good spirits to the mission. He started rebuilding the mission. He arranged the main buildings to form a large, square area.
After leading the mission alone for three and a half years, Father Fortuni felt he needed help. He was fifty-eight years old. He asked to move to another mission where he could share the work.
Father Gutierrez's Success
Father Fortuni was replaced by Father José Gutiérrez. He was a Franciscan friar from South America. Father Gutierrez continued to build and grow the mission's farms. The year 1832 was the most successful for the mission.
By this time, the main square had many buildings. There was a large convent with 27 rooms for priests. There was a big adobe church and a wooden storehouse. This storehouse was the mission's first chapel. There were also living areas and workrooms. In these rooms, Native Americans learned different crafts to help them live on their own.
Outside the main square, there were orchards, gardens, and vineyards. There were also fields of grain and a gristmill for grinding grain. Houses for soldiers and Native American families were built. The mission also had a jail, a cemetery, and a hospital.
In 1832, the mission recorded 127 baptisms, 34 marriages, and 70 deaths. It had a total of 996 neophytes from 35 nearby villages. The mission also had many animals and grew a lot of food on its farm.
Mission Closure
In 1833, the Mexican government decided to close all the missions in Alta California. This was done through a law called the Mexican Secularization Act of 1833. Governor Figueroa ordered that the mission property be divided. This included the land, cattle, and tools. It was to be given to the neophytes who were over 20 years old.
Mission San Francisco Solano officially closed on November 3, 1834. It was then called a First Class Parish. Spanish missionaries were replaced by local priests. The first one was Father Lorenzo Quijas.
Lieutenant Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, who was in charge of the Presidio of San Francisco, became the administrator. He oversaw the closing of the mission. Vallejo assigned Guadalupe Antonio Ortega to help with this work. Ortega made Father Quijas leave. Many neophytes went back to their home villages. Others moved to large farms called ranchos, including Vallejo's Rancho Petaluma Adobe. Some stayed in the Sonoma area and worked as servants.
Mission Decline
The mission buildings quickly started to fall apart. The town of Sonoma was growing. People needed materials for building. They took roof tiles, wood, and adobe bricks from the mission buildings.
In 1841, Mariano Vallejo ordered a small adobe chapel to be built. It was placed where the first wooden mission chapel had been. This new chapel became the church for the local parish.
In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln gave ownership of all the mission churches in California to the Roman Catholic Church. In 1881, the Sonoma church property was sold to a local businessman. A new parish church was built across town. For a time, the old adobe chapel was used as a warehouse. The Convento building might have been used to make wine.
Rebuilding and Memorials
In 1903, the two remaining mission buildings were bought by the California Historic Landmarks League. They became part of the California Park System in 1906. After 1940, the buildings were fixed up. They were made to look like the original ones. Now, they are used as exhibits for visitors to learn about the mission's history.
A special memorial was dedicated in 1999. It is called the Sonoma Mission Indian Memorial. It honors more than 800 Native American people. This includes over 200 children. They died while living and working at the mission between 1824 and 1839. Their Christian names are carved on this granite memorial. These names were recorded by the priests in the mission's old records.
European diseases like measles and smallpox spread. The living conditions were often crowded and unhealthy. This caused a need for a hospital to care for the people at the mission. The first hospital in California was started in 1817. It was built to care for the Native Americans at the Mission San Francisco de Asís. This hospital later became its own mission, the Mission San Rafael Arcangel.
California Historic Landmark
On June 1, 1932, Mission San Francisco Solano was named California Historical Landmark #3.
Fun Facts About Mission San Francisco Solano
- Mission San Francisco Solano is the last and most northern of the twenty-one missions. These missions were built in Alta California. It was founded in Sonoma, California.
- It was the only California mission started after Mexico became independent from Spain in 1821.
- It was only used as a mission for eleven years.
- The mission had over 10,000 acres of land. This land included orchards, vineyards, and grain fields. It also had land for livestock to graze.
- The town of Sonoma was where the Bear Flag Revolt happened. This event helped separate California from Mexico.
- The mission church faces the plaza. This plaza became the center of the Bear Flag Revolt in 1846.
- Tremors from the 1906 San Francisco earthquake badly damaged the mission's original adobe chapel. The repairs were finished in 1913.
- In 1927, the California State Parks Commission became responsible for taking care of the mission. They also took care of the land around it.
- Mission San Francisco Solano is one of only two Spanish missions in California that are run as a State Park.
See also
In Spanish: Misión San Francisco Solano para niños
- Spanish missions in California
- El Presidio de Sonoma
- USNS Mission Solano (AO-135) – a ship built during World War II
- Sonoma Plaza – a U.S. National Historic Landmark District in front of the mission
- Mission Guadalupe - the final Dominican mission to be founded, June 1834
