History:
Founded in 1772, this mission is located exactly halfway between the two most important missions, Santa Barbara and Carmel, as well as halfway between the two most important California cities, Los Angeles and San Francisco! At some point, part of the mission was rebuilt to look like a New England-style church, complete with steeple, but it was eventually restored back to the original Spanish style in the 1930s.
Patron Saint:
St. Louis (1274-97) was the Bishop of Toulouse, France (the city in Missouri is named after a different saint, King Louis IX of France, which Mission San Luis Rey de Francia is also named for; Louis the bishop was actually the nephew of Louis the King). At the young age of 22, he was consecrated a bishop, threw himself into helping the poor and feeding the hungry, but was thoroughly burnt out from his exertions. He died a year later of sickness and exhaustion at the young age of 23. Not well-known otherwise, Louis was embraced by the Franciscans and made the patron saint of the city of Valencia, Spain, where his relics lie in the cathedral.
Distinctives:
-It is the only mission to have an L-shaped chapel. It was a normal-shaped chapel until the extension was added.
-This is the only California mission without a cemetery, and the only one with a portico out front.
-The five-hole bell loft was reduced to three bells by theft and decay,
-There is a fountain out front (of a little girl playing with three bears and a fish) that represents the Chumash Indians who were native to the region.
My Opinion:
-A pleasant looking mission, it’s got a really great bell display in the back garden that highlights the Sorrow Bell, the Joy Bell, the Gloria Bell, and their function in the mission. In the museum is a set of the original mission doors. I especially love the town surrounding it. Once you walk out the doors of the mission, you are automatically in quaint and charming surroundings. The City of San Luis Obispo is definitely not a hard place in which to live!
Ranking: #7 / 21