Mission San Juan Bautista facts for kids
A view of the Mission San Juan Bautista and its three-bell campanario ("bell wall"). Two of the bells were salvaged by Father Nick Senf in 2009 from the original chime, which was destroyed in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.
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 Location in California
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| Location | 406 2nd Street San Juan Bautista, California 95045 |
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| Coordinates | 36°50′42″N 121°32′09″W / 36.845083°N 121.535889°W |
| Name as founded | La Misión del Glorios Precursor de Jesu Cristo, Nuestro Señor San Juan Bautista |
| English translation | The Mission of the Glorious Precursor of Jesus Christ, Our Lord, Saint John the Baptist |
| Patron | Saint John the Baptist |
| Nickname(s) | "Mission of Music" |
| Founding date | June 24, 1797 |
| Founding priest(s) | Father Fermín Lasuén |
| Founding Order | Fifteenth |
| Military district | Third |
| Native tribe(s) Spanish name(s) |
Mutsun, Yokuts Costeño |
| Native place name(s) | Popeloutchom |
| Baptisms | 4,106 |
| Marriages | 1,003 |
| Burials | 2,854 |
| Secularized | 1835 |
| Returned to the Church | 1859 |
| Governing body | Diocese of Monterey |
| Current use | Parish Church |
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| Website | |
| http://www.oldmissionsjb.org/ | |
Mission San Juan Bautista is a historic Spanish mission located in San Juan Bautista, San Benito County, California. It was started on June 24, 1797, by Father Fermín Lasuén from the Franciscan order. This mission was the fifteenth of the Spanish missions built in what is now California.
The mission is named after Saint John the Baptist. The city of San Juan Bautista also gets its name from the mission. Buildings like soldier barracks, a nunnery, and the Jose Castro House were built around a large plaza. These buildings can still be seen today. Native American groups, like the Ohlone and Yokuts, came to live and work at the mission. Mission San Juan Bautista has held church services every day since 1797. Today, it still serves as a parish church for the Diocese of Monterey.
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History of Mission San Juan Bautista
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After it was founded in 1797, Mission San Juan Bautista grew quickly. By 1803, over 1,000 Native Americans lived there. The mission also became very active in farming and ranching. They had many cattle, sheep, horses, and mules. They also grew large amounts of wheat, barley, and corn.
In 1815, Father Pedro Estévan Tápis joined the mission. He was very good at music. Father Tápis taught the Native Americans how to sing. He used a special system of music notation from Spain. This system used different colors or textures for different voices in a song.
His choir of Native American boys became famous. They performed for many visitors. This led to Mission San Juan Bautista being called "the Mission of Music." Two of his original handwritten choir books are still kept at the San Juan Bautista Museum. Father Tápis passed away in 1825 and was buried at the mission. The town of San Juan Bautista grew up around the mission. It became a busy place during the California Gold Rush.
Earthquakes and Restoration
The mission is built close to the San Andreas Fault. This means it has been damaged by many earthquakes. Big earthquakes in 1800 and 1906 caused damage. However, the mission was never completely destroyed at one time.
It was first repaired in 1884. Then, a major restoration happened in 1949. This work was paid for by the Hearst Foundation. The three-bell campanario, or "bell wall," was fully fixed in 2010. This bell wall is near the church entrance. A part of the old El Camino Real road is near the mission. This unpaved section sits right on a fault line.
Mission's Later Years
In 1835, the mission was taken over by the government. This process was called secularization. But in 1859, the Catholic Church took control again. It has been a working church ever since. It is part of the Diocese of Monterey. The mission also has a cemetery. Over 4,000 Native Americans and Europeans are buried there.
The mission and its grounds were shown in the 1958 Alfred Hitchcock film Vertigo. A producer's daughter suggested the mission for filming. A tall steeple had been added to the mission after it was built. This steeple was later destroyed by a fire. For the movie, Hitchcock added a bell tower using models and special effects. This movie tower did not look like the original steeple.
See also
- Spanish missions in California
- List of Spanish missions in California
- Rancho San Justo
- Teatro Campesino
- USNS Mission San Juan (AO-126) – a Buenaventura Class fleet oiler built during World War II.
