Mission San Luis Rey de Francia facts for kids
Mission San Luis Rey de Francia in July 2022
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 Location in California
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| Location | 4050 Mission Ave. Oceanside, California 92057 USA |
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| Coordinates | 33°13′57″N 117°19′13″W / 33.23250°N 117.32028°W |
| Name as founded | La Misión de San Luis, Rey de Francia |
| English translation | The Mission of Saint Louis, King of France |
| Patron | Louis IX of France |
| Nickname(s) | "King of the Missions" |
| Founding date | June 13, 1798 |
| Founding priest(s) | Father Fermín de Lasuén |
| Area | 35 acres (14 ha) |
| Built | 1815 |
| Architectural style(s) | Spanish Colonial |
| Founding Order | Eighteenth |
| Military district | First (El Presidio Reál de San Diego) |
| Native tribe(s) Spanish name(s) |
Kumeyaay, Quechnajuichom Luiseño & Diegueño 'Mission Indians' |
| Native place name(s) | Quencha—Quechla |
| Baptisms | 5,399 |
| Marriages | 1,335 |
| Burials | 2,718 |
| Neophyte population | 2,788 |
| Secularized | 1834 |
| Returned to the Church | 1865 |
| Governing body | Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego |
| Current use | Parish/Museum/Cemetery/Retreat House |
| Official name: San Luis Rey Mission Church | |
| Designated | April 15, 1970 |
| Reference no. | 70000142 |
| Designated | April 15, 1970 |
| Reference no. | #239 |
| Website | |
| http://www.sanluisrey.org/ | |
Mission San Luis Rey de Francia (which means Mission of Saint Louis, King of France in Spanish) is a famous historic site. It is located in San Luis Rey, California, a part of Oceanside, California. This mission gave its name to the Luiseño people, a local Native American tribe.
At its biggest, Mission San Luis Rey was huge! It covered about 950,400 acres (384,600 hectares). This made it the largest of all the California missions. It had many buildings and lots of farmland. The mission also had smaller outposts, like San Antonio de Pala Asistencia (built in 1816) and Las Flores Estancia (built in 1823). These outposts helped the main mission.
Contents
Discover Mission San Luis Rey de Francia
Early Days: The Spanish Era
The mission's full name honors King Louis IX of France. People often call it the "King of the Missions." Father Fermín Lasuén founded it on June 12, 1798. It was the eighteenth of twenty-one Spanish missions built in Alta California. This area was then part of New Spain.
The church you see today was built in 1815. It was the third church constructed at this spot. It is now a National Historic Landmark. This means it's a very important historical place. Today, the mission is still a working parish church. It also has a museum and a retreat center. The mission once raised many animals, including about 26,000 cattle, goats, geese, and pigs.
Life at the Mission
A Native American convert named Pablo Tac wrote about life at the mission. He was a Luiseño and was educated by the Franciscans. His book, Indian Life and Customs at Mission San Luis Rey, describes mission life. He wrote it around 1835.
Pablo Tac shared sad news about his people. He said that 2,000 Luiseño people died from a sickness. This happened soon after the mission was founded. He also described how the Spanish priests lived. He wrote that the father at the mission was "like a king." He had helpers, musicians, and soldiers. He also had gardens, ranches, and livestock.
Changes During the Mexican Era
In 1830, the first Peruvian Pepper Tree was planted here. This tree is now very common in California. It is even called the "California Pepper tree." In 1833, Mexico passed a law called the Mexican secularization act of 1833. This law meant that much of the mission land was sold.
Native peoples who had lived and worked at the missions were set free. When the Native people at San Luis Rey heard this, they were very happy. They said, "We are free! We do not want to obey! We do not want to work!" Thousands of them left the mission. They returned to their old communities.
During the Mexican–American War (1846–1847), the mission was used by the United States Army. In 1847, the U.S. military governor, Richard Barnes Mason, took control of the mission. He appointed Jesse Hunter to manage the property. Jean Baptiste Charbonneau also worked there. He was a Native American who had traveled with the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
The Mission Today
After the mission was secularized in 1834, religious services stopped. The Luiseño people were left behind. Services began again in 1893. Two Mexican priests were allowed to restore the mission. Father Joseph O'Keefe started restoring the old mission in 1895. The main quadrangle and church were finished in 1905.
A college, San Luis Rey College, opened as a seminary in 1950. However, it closed in 1969. The mission has also been used for filming. Parts of the Disney TV show Zorro were filmed here in 1957. The mission pretended to be the Mission San Gabriel.
In 1998, a special concert was held. It celebrated the mission's 200th anniversary. The Los Angeles Philharmonic played. The ancient Cappella Giulia Choir from St. Peter's Basilica also performed. This was their first visit to the Western Hemisphere. In 2013, the mission was made stronger against earthquakes.
Today, Mission San Luis Rey de Francia is still active. It is cared for by its parish members. Restoration projects are always ongoing. The mission has a museum, a visitors' center, and a retreat center. You can also see beautiful gardens with the historic Pepper Tree. There is also an original small cemetery.
Images for kids
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The courtyard of the mission
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Mission San Luis Rey de Francia as it appeared in 1986. An old sketch suggests it might have been planned with two bell towers.
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The Old Cemetery, founded in 1798.
See also
- Spanish missions in California
- List of Spanish missions in California
- Las Flores Asistencia
- Mission San Antonio de Pala
- Luiseño people – Native American people connected to the mission
- Population of Native California
- California mission clash of cultures
- USNS Mission San Luis Rey (AO-128) – a ship named after the mission
