History:
In 1797, this fifteenth California mission was founded. It was the second of four founded in the summer of 1797 by Fr. Fermin de Lasuén. The church has had an unbroken succession of priests from its founding. Unfortunately it sits right on top of the San Andreas Fault, making it a very unlucky location!
Patron Saint:
St. John the Baptist, the cousin of Jesus, the “voice crying in the wilderness,” and the one who baptized Christ. This mission was founded on June 24 (John the Baptist’s feast day) which is how it got its name.
Distinctives:
-This is the mission where they filmed the Alfred Hitchcock movie “Vertigo” in 1957. The one exception is the tower that the woman threw herself out of at the end—that was added on for the film. San Juan Bautista actually doesn’t have a tower like that!
-This mission has the only original Spanish Plaza remaining in California.
-The chapel is the largest among the missions, the only one with three aisles.
-This was known as the “Mission of Music” because of Fr. Esteban Tapis who is buried here. Tapis used to be the President of the Missions, and he also founded Mission Santa Ines. He came here to San Juan Bautista to retire, and his famous musical talents and choir books (you can see them on display) gave the mission its nickname. This is strange because the San Jose mission, not too far away, was famous for its orchestra and choir. Perhaps it is a case of two places claiming the same thing in different ways, much as Ohio (the birthplace of the Wright Brothers) and North Carolina (the location of Kitty Hawk, where the first airplane took flight) both claim the Wright Brothers as their own.
My Opinion:
I enjoyed this mission. Upon first glance, it doesn’t seem that impressive, because from the street you approach it sideways. However, once you face the front, it is quite a sight. It has a fairly extensive museum, and the grounds are very pleasant to walk around, with a wonderful cactus garden. There is a statue of John the Baptist out front that is worth seeing.
Ranking: #10 / 21