Mission San Francisco Solano

The last of the missions was the last for us as well.  Mission San Francisco Solano was a great way to end our journey.  It was the 21st mission under the leadership of Fr. Jose Altimira in 1823.  After a span of 54 years, the mission era was quickly coming to a close but the efforts of the padres continued.

I suppose every system needs its controversies.  With the missions so closely related to the government and military, it should not be surprising.  However, this mission began due to a padre trying to make his own way on the mission trail.  Padre Altimira arrived in California and was not impressed with his surroundings, so he wanted to create a new mission further north.  Instead of going to the mission director, he chose to go to the governor with his plan.  Not only did the padre want to start the new mission, but in order to do this he would need to have two other missions closed (Mission San Francisco de Asís and Mission San Rafael).  The governor thought this was a great plan because he was concerned that the Russians were planning to push their way south into the newly acquired Mexican territory.  This new location would create a better stronghold in California.

Work on the new mission began; however, the mission director (Fr. Senan) found out the plan and put a stop to the construction.  The governor had no authority to create a mission.  The mission should have ended there.  Unfortunately, Fr. Senan became ill and decided to choose his successor (Fr. Vincente Francisco de Sarría) giving the orders to him with the determination to end this mission.  However, the new director decided to negotiate new terms for the mission with a new location further north selected for this final mission in the series.  Funny side note...the Russians that everyone was so worried about actually donated the original bells that rang at this mission!

Somehow Fr. Altimira was allowed to stay at the mission during the construction period.  It is sad to say that he was not kind to the natives, using flogging and other brutal punishments to force them into labor.  This led to uprisings and revolts at this mission and others.  He did not last long in the mission fields of California and eventually returned to Spain.  

In 1834, General Vallejo was ordered to carry out the secularization of the Mission and distribute property to the Mission Indians.  However, he saw an opportunity for personal profit. While saying he was acting to benefit the Indians, he actually added the Mission properties (44,000 acres) to his own holdings in the area and put the Indians to work for him.   Vallejo laid out the town of Sonoma in 1835.  He had a large plaza made in front of the old mission chapel. But then he took tiles from the church roof and put them on his own house. In poor shape the mission church later was torn down. In need of a church for the town he made, in 1840 Vallejo had a small chapel built at the location of the original parish church.

One cannot say that life was not exciting on the mission trail.  The Bear Flag Revolt, which led to the introduction of California as a republic (and eventually to statehood), took place directly across from the mission.  In June 1846, a group of settlers occupied Sonoma Plaza, proclaimed a Republic of California, and raised the Bear Flag (the inspiration for the state flag of California). A president was elected for the new republic and he declared independence from Mexico. On July 9, 1846, the Bear Flag was replaced by the flag of the United States.  General Vallejo was captured and put in prison.

Fast forward 170 years and here we arrived in Sonoma on the afternoon of December 28 (Monday) and were surprised to see the activity of tourists and locals bustling around the area.  We had a hard time parking in this small active town.  Thankfully, we found a parking lot dedicated for visitors to the mission, which is now part of the state park system.  Our admission to the mission would also allow us access to the military barracks next door and the Vallejo homestead nearby.

The museum was small but full of artifacts.  The best part of the museum was that it showed the overall view of the mission trail with maps and timelines.  It was a great way to synthesize the fullness of information that was jammed into my head from the last two weeks.  I think this mission was also helpful in seeing the transition from the Spanish missions era to the Mexican secularization period and then into the early statehood of California.  Many changes took place throughout this vast area in just a few years.  The missions throughout California provided a way to bring unity to the people regardless of the changing governments and cultures.

We entered the mission church from the back.  At first it is a shock to see as there are no pews so the children were soon running around the large open room.  I had to remind them that this was a church and museum.  If we had lived during the mission era, this would have actually been common to see.  There would not have been pews and the parishioners would have stood or knelt throughout Mass with the men on one side and the women and children on the other.

The decorations were minimal with only a few paintings on the wall and the main altar with statues.  The walls were white washed with a simple design painted in the traditional vibrant colors we have grown accustom to seeing in the missions.

Micheal did take the children to see the military barracks next door, while my mom and I found the van.  He also looked for a geocache in the area which took them to a statue across the way in a park.  The children enjoyed some time on the playground before gathering for a picture at the spot where the bear flag was raised for the first time.  Yeah...that is where the cache was located!  Have I mentioned how much I love geocaching?

We also visited the Vallejo home (Lachryma Montis).  It turns out that General Vallejo was freed from prison and became the first State Senator of the newly formed state of California.  His home was built on a natural springs.  In the 1870s, he would continue to provide for his family by selling water from this spring to the city (the first organized water company in California).


Although the Vallejo land grab from the natives is controversial, his home is a historical building and was very interesting to view.  The original home actually had an interesting beginning, as it was a prefabricated home from the northeast.  It was taken apart and shipped around the Horn to be rebuilt at this location.  Vallejo seemed to have a problem with local builders, as a second building known as the Swiss Chalet (now the museum) was also built from pieces of wood from Europe.

The home was beautiful and we enjoyed learning about his large family who grew up in the home.  It was actually a small home (4-6 bedrooms) when you consider the fact that he raised 16 children (10 survived into adulthood).

Also, there was a guest house that was such a cute little dollhouse.  In between these buildings was an interesting swan fountain.  Behind the main house was the servant's quarters and kitchen.  And above the main house and water reservoir was the Hermitage (also known as Napoleon’s Cottage as it was used by the youngest son and his menagerie of pets; numbering at one time 14 dogs, 2 monkeys, several cats, and a parrot).
















And, so we come to the end of our amazing trip through the missions.  We found a plaque just outside of Mission San Francisco Solano that read:

The End of The Mission Trail

1523-1823

The Mission Trail marked three hundred years of Spanish-Mexican settlement. It travelled [sic] as far South as Guatemala and traversed Mexico to advance through eleven of our present day United States. In 1823 Mission San Francisco Solano was founded, marking the last and northernmost outpost on the historic Mission Trail.

The Prince Who Will Conquer

Today we celebrate seven years with the most amazing guy...Brendan Vincent.  He came into this world ready to love and be loved.  I cannot imagine our lives without him.
He is a self-proclaimed genius who loves learning about other geniuses and learning from their example.  He is constantly tinkering with LEGOS and other toys to make them better.  He has been a thinker since the day he was born.  We pray today that God will bless him to know how to use his intelligence and may he never forget that God is there to protect him and love him.

Here are seven pictures through the years to show how much he has grown!

God has amazing plans for you, Brendan.  We look forward to seeing where His plans lead you!

Mission San Rafael Archangel

We were now north of San Francisco...after making a stop on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge for a picture.  Who can resist at this iconic spot?  We drove the hilly roads to Mission San Rafael.

This was both the 20th mission historically, and also ours on our journey.  It was built in 1817 and by this time the mission director was Fr. Vincente Francisco de Sarria.  The mission was established to serve as a medical mission to assist Mission San Francisco.  It would be the first organized hospital in California.  I am sure it is not a coincidence, but still I think it is a fitting connection to the archangel who is known for the healing of Tobit in the Old Testament story.

Although it was one of the last missions to be erected, it would be one of the first to be sold during the secularization period.  A general under the Mexican government, General Vallejo, took advantage of the opportunity to purchase the mission property.  The original mission church was left to ruins some time in the 1830s.  The people once tried to rebuild at the site in 1855 but it was later torn down.  Eventually, the land at the immediate location of the mission was returned to the church.  Several churches were built at this site but did not last.  The current church on the site was built in 1919.
 
When we arrived we took pictures in front of the large church with the Rafael statue.  Then we walked into the building where others were entering.  We assumed it was the entrance to the gift shop.  Imagine our surprise to find a chapel.

It turns out that this building was the last remnant of the mission that once stood here.  The church that we thought was the mission was the present day parish church.  In fact, even this chapel is a replica that was built in 1949 on the same site as the original with funds from the Hearst Foundation.  The main church was built in 1919 on the same site as the original mission but the parish did not choose to replicate the original adobe.  So, the only real link to the original mission are the bells that are inside the mission museum.  There are three replica bells that are hanging from a wooden frame near the entrance to show a unity with the exterior of the other missions today.

The replica chapel was a simple adobe and upon entering the small building we were met with a simple open room.  The main altar and the Stations of the Cross are the only form of art.  Zaira liked the ambo because the angel (Rafael) was just her size.  The main altar was a monochrome style with little variation.  It was not displeasing to view, but it was quite different than all the other missions in its lack of vibrancy.

When we tried to enter the museum and inquire about viewing the parish church, we discovered that it was closed until the New Year.  We were so disappointed, but regrouped to begin the trek to the last of the missions.

I could feel the church beckoning to us and tried to find someone in the parish office but to no avail.  I could see that there was a magnificent stain glass window just below the Rafael statue.  I knew it was something we would want to see from the inside.  We promised to make a trip back at a later time.

Everything seemed just out of reach at this mission.  Even the statue of Fr. Serra was too far into the landscaping to touch.

Just before leaving the area, I looked back at the church we were unable to enter.  I saw San Rafael looking out over the city (and us) with his hand holding a cross outstretched.  He seemed to be blessing us as we began our last part of the trip.  So far we had been peacefully enjoying the day.  I said a little prayer asking St. Rafael to continue to help our family on this last day.

Mission San Francisco de Asís

The next day was our last day of missions.  Of all the missions, I worried about this visit the most.  I really was unsure about the location (I hate driving on those San Francisco hills!).  I also worried about parking, which did prove to be a problem.  The funny thing was that the reason we could not park is because the road was scheduled for the street sweeper!  All that worry for nothing...it turned out to be an easy park at the school that was closed for the holiday and we only drove on the edge of all the hills.  There was a little confusion with one way streets but nothing to write home to tell.

We thought we were standing in front of the mission,
we had no idea about the Basilica next door!

We had left so early that the mission was not even open.  However, there was a Mass being offered.  It was a good day to attend Mass (Aren't all days good for worshiping God?), as it was the Feast of the Holy Innocents.  More on what we saw in the interior of the church below the history.

Mission San Francisco was the sixth of the missions and it seems late in coming to me.  After all, the big push of the military and the missionaries was to make it to San Francisco.  However, this mission was not completed until 1776.  The original location was a short distance away.  The current mission building was built in 1782.  The building was built so well it weathered the 1906 earthquake and is considered to be the oldest intact building in San Francisco.

It was also interesting to learn that this mission did not prosper as the others in the system until the 1850s.  The lure to the other side of the bay caused many of the natives to run away to the northern locations.  However, during the time of the famous Gold Rush, many settlers arrived and were in need of assistance.  Unfortunately, only a portion of the church was still occupied by the clergy.  The buildings had been sold off (by the Mexican government) during the secularization period and were being used for the typical boom town activities (saloons, brawl houses and even a race track among other things).  Much of the original artwork was covered with whitewash.  It would later be easily removed and the vibrant artwork is now seen today.

While at Mass, these murals that covered the entire wall to each side kept the children quiet as they viewed the details.  I suppose it kept me interested as well, although I truly appreciated the message of life given by the priest.  When I returned home and read about the mission, I found out that is actually a false front that is placed in front of the main altar during Lent.  This is the same idea as covering the statues with cloth in modern churches today.  I am not sure if it has been used in recent years, as it seemed to be secured to the wall albeit in pieces.

The ceiling was also quite mesmerizing.  Seeing it for the first time definitely has a WOW-factor, but I am not sure if I could look at it for a long time.

One feature on the exterior (no picture) is the exterior balcony which is unique to this mission.  The bells are also within the tower instead of prominently viewed as the other missions.

This mission is only used as a chapel to the larger more modern Gothic-style parish church next door, Mission Dolores Basilica (built in 1918).  In fact, we were privileged to go to Mass in the mission as most are now celebrated next door.  We walked through the small passage way in between the two church buildings and found a few more statues and a wall mosaic of the mission history.

We entered into the Bascilica and were in awe once again.  This building is just as historical as the mission considering it will be celebrating 100 years in just a couple of years.  It has been through earthquakes, fires and transformations over the years but it still stands.  Both of these historic buildings were also visited by Pope St. John Paul II in 1987.

Mission Dolores has large stain glass windows that represent each of the 21 missions and their patron saints.  There were niches throughout the church to place statues, mosaics, stain glass windows, and paintings.

A relic of Fr. Serra was on display at the main altar because of his recent canonization.

There was a small museum behind the mission.  The children were most fascinated by the reed woven duck decoy.  However, I found this message (I think this was written by the museum director.) explaining one way to view the controversy often associated with Fr. Serra in regard to the treatment of the natives.  This is only a small portion of the text (a full reading can be found here toward the bottom of the page):

"There is absolutely no documentary evidence to indicate that Serra ever mistreated anyone, either personally or indirectly. On the contrary, he was harshest on himself, seeking to transcend his perceived faults through privation and self-mortification. The California missions and missionaries have always had their detractors, and probably always will. Fueled by emotion rather than persuaded by fact, the allegations tend to generalize and blame Serra for every excess and abuse that occurred during the entire 1769-1834 mission period. The mission system’s greatest “sin” was not individual shortcoming, but inculpable eighteenth-century ignorance."  

We left here to view the garden cemetery behind the mission.  Here we found the Serra statue and a very old cemetery.  If you did not know...I love cemeteries.  There is so much history and memories found in cemeteries.  Even the trees had grave markers embedded in them.  The oldest graves individually marked had burials in 1804 and 1807 (a couple buried side by side).  

Zaira and Brendan found a little hut fascinating.  It was found in the middle of the cemetery near the graves of the natives.  The opening into the hut was just their size.

I also love the picture I was able to take of the juxtaposition of the eras found in the architecture.  An amazing visit to start our last day on the mission trail.

San Jose Mission

We were thankful for the short drive to the next mission.  We were again confused by the campus near by.  However, we refocused and found the spot to this simple mission church in the rough.  It was nice to see the children running excitedly to be the first inside.  After so many missions, one might think we would be bored but we never lost our interest in viewing these missions.

Mission San Jose was one of the later missions (14th mission) built under the direction of Fr. Lasuen in 1797.  This mission was successful in its efforts but held a connection with the military for most of its active years.  This was likely due to Fr. Lasuen's efforts to have the mission approved by the governor and suggesting that it would be a good stop along the trail for the regular military transports.  This might be one of the reasons it is considered one of the most prosperous of the California missions, in spite of its simple front.  It seems that the year they began construction on the permanent structure was also the year for earthquakes.  This led to a simple yet sturdy building with a single bell tower within the roof line.  Although it was so successful, it continues to be a mission of a larger parish to this day.

This mission is known for its orchestra and choir that began with the help of Fr. Narciso Durian (He would later become the director of all the missions making this mission his headquarters.) beginning in 1821.  He created a simplified musical format to teach the natives.  One point of interest associated with his desire to have fine music...Fr. Durian deeply desired an organ for the mission.  Although he never saw this come to fruition, an organ was finally placed in the mission.  This mission continues his tradition with concerts performed throughout the year.

After an earthquake in 1868 destroyed the mission, the priest of the day chose to create a Normandy style structure.  This church building would remain at the site until 1965.  Many of the artifacts from this time period were found in the museum.  In 1965, the parish chose to return to its adobe style and found the original tiles in the basement.

When you first arrive it appears to be a simple adobe building with little to recognize it as a mission other than the wooden cross on the roof.  We entered the gift shop and museum building attached to the church.  There were many artifacts of the native culture during the mission era.

I loved how the parish decorated for Christmas with the large angels hanging from the ceiling.  It really blended with the rest of the church and I almost wondered if these angels were always part of the decor.

We then went into the small courtyard garden before entering the church.  We liked the simple beauty of this mission replica.  One area of interest was the side altar that was artfully filled with relics from various saints and a piece of the True Cross.

In most of the missions, the wooden walls were covered in plaster of some kind.  Sometimes the walls were painted to resemble marble.  A much less expensive way to have a beautiful interior taht was familiar to the homeland.  However, at San Jose mission, the artists who decorated the interior seemed to embrace the beauty of the wood, especially around the main altar.  The idea of a painted wall to resemble marble was still used and in some areas the painted walls did seem to be lifted off the canvas in a 3-dimensional view.  Although the interior had a rustic appeal, even the bunting looked realistic along the wainscoting region of the wall.

The altars were also made of wood and painted to look like marble.  These were very realistic and beautiful.  Each altar dedicated to a different saint.  However, the one that we were most drawn to was of Jesus as he must have appeared after the scouring.  This was the altar with the relics mentioned above.
 

After such a short day of touring the missions (as they were so close together), we decided we needed to find a couple of caches.  We had a cache that we had hoped to find the day we picked up my mom, and Michael reminded us of it as we were making our way to the hotel.  Imagine our surprise when we arrived to find Fr. Serra there to guide us further north!  We had actually seen the model for this statue at San Carlos and hoped we would find it.  Once again...geocaching led us on our journey!  Could it be that God was helping us choose our caches to make our trip even better?

20+ feet high...hard to miss!