California Missions 8 & 9

2015

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Summary

8. Mission San Juan Capistrano San Juan Capistrano, California, was immortalized in the 1940 song, "When the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano," and became best known for the migration of cliff swallows that migrate here each year from Argentina to Mission San Juan Capistrano. To honor this annual phenomenon, the city celebrates St. Joseph's Day, March 19, with a Swallows' Day Parade. Mission San Juan Capistrano also has the distinction of being home to the oldest building in California, which is still in use; called either "Serra's Chapel" or "Father Serra's Church," the chapel was built in 1782 and is the only existing structure where it has been documented that Father Junipero Serra celebrated mass. It is no wonder this is the most visited mission in the state. This program guides us through the 10 acres of gardens, fountains, and old adobe walls, where we view the historic Chapel, Padres' Quarters, Industrial Area, Soldiers' Barracks, cemetery and Great Stone Church to learn how the Franciscan padres and Native Americans labored to make this mission a center for agriculture, industry, education and religion. 9. Mission San Juan Bautista Mission San Juan Bautista received worldwide fame when it was prominently featured in the 1958 Alfred Hitchcock film "Vertigo," which starred Jimmy Stewart. Located in the town of San Juan Bautista, the mission was established by Father Fermin Lasuen on June 24, 1797, and is the 15th of California's 21 missions; it too is the largest in the chain. This special mission offers us an opportunity to experience a history that dates back well over 200 years; as we tour the mission and its grounds, we hear from retired Monsignor Rodriguez and learn of the legacy left by the Franciscan padres and Native Americans; also, in viewing various artifacts, as well as people singing, we discover why the mission earned the nickname "the Mission of Music."