San Juan Capistrano: The Jewel of Missions

In the center of Orange County you will find the "Jewel of the Missions" or better known as the San Juan Capistrano Mission. One that started over two hundred years ago has blossomed into a historical landmark for many to see and admire. However, a lot of sacrifice was endured over this period to inhabit many different cultures.

The San Juan Capistrano Mission was re-founded on November 1, 1776. Due to an attack from Indians in San Diego in 1775 the Mission bells were buried to keep them safe if there were a similar attack on San Juan Capistrano. Then, once everything was calm Father Junipero Serra re-founded the Mission and built the church and additional buildings with the help of the local Indians who were friendly. However it was not until 1791 that the Mission bells would be ringing in a bell tower when it had been completed. For fifteen years while San Juan Capistrano was being built the bell would hang from a simple tree.

By 1806 the largest church in California was built and would continue to grow over the course of the next decade. 1811 became a very successful year for the Mission where they would have a magnificent display of wheat, corn, cattle, sheep, and horses. Unfortunately it would not last long and tragedy would reach San Juan Capistrano when an earthquake came and took the church that was with it never to be built again. A few years thereafter a pirate named Bouchard was attacking the California settlements and as the Padres were warned they took all they could and fled with the natives to another area. As ordinary discipline was becoming obsolete, due to Mexican Governor Echeandia telling Indians that did not need to follow commands of the Padres, it was evident that activity would all be lost. By 1845 the San Juan Capistrano Mission was sold for $710,000 to Don Juan Forster.

What once was a beautiful site was now in ruins and hardly well kept until 1910 when Father John O' Sullivan came to the Mission looking for a healing recovery from tuberculosis he decided he would take on the challenge and try to re-establish it back to years prior. By 1918 San Juan Capistrano Mission was an active church once again and still is today. You can find the Mission in southern Orange County just three blocks west of I-5 Ortega Highway.

Today you will find over 10 acres of gardens mixed in with beautiful hand made fountains, and a sense of piece in this quiet area away from the distractions of the city. One of their most notorious events viewable during the spring is the return of the swallows. If you visit San Juan Capistrano Mission do so around March 19th as one of the biggest media frenzies in California when the swallows migrate back to the Mission. It is said that many years ago Father O'Sullivan noticed a storekeeper in town taking a broom and knocking down the nests of the swallows and chasing them away. The padre then invited the birds back to the Mission declaring that there was "room for all", and ever since they continue to return feeling safe.

San Juan Capistrano Mission is used for many different aspects in Orange County and throughout California. Because of its "national monument" status, preserving the Mission is one of the most important developments in the works today. As of 2006 they were making continuous efforts to raise over $10,000,000 in donations to restructure the buildings. You will find visiting the Mission to be an educational experience throughout as many surrounding schools take field trips to the destination on a yearly basis. You will also be able to enjoy festivals and events that would attract any tourist staying in the area to learn a little more of the history within the walls of the San Juan Capistrano Mission.

The profound nature of the San Juan Capistrano Mission is to ensure Native-Americans, Mexicans, European-Americans, and many other cultures away to unite as one. With their weekly masses within the chapel, it stands apart from what the rest of world is trying to accomplish. Living together without prejudice, and loving one another who who we are as opposed to our ethnicity. For that is the true character you will come to find at the San Juan Capistrano Mission.