California Missions: History & Ghosts [Holy and Frightful]

From 1769 to 1823, Spain built missions all along the California coast in their conquest to convert the indigenous people to Christianity and as strongholds for their newly claimed territories

Some are easily accessible in touristy towns like Carmel, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara while others including the San Antonio, San Miguel and La Purisima Missions are in more remote regions.

San Juan Bautista Mission is one of the largest and was known as the ‘Mission of Music’. It was also prominently featured in the Hitchcock classic, Vertigo. The Carmel Mission was known as the ‘Crown Jewel of the Missions’ for its beautiful grounds and location at the mouth of the Carmel River. It is also the burial place of Padre Junipero Serra who founded most of the California Missions. The impressive Santa Barbara Mission was known as the ‘Queen of the Missions’ for its size and beauty.

The Santa Inez Mission is located just north of the Gaviota pass near Solvang and was known as the ‘Mission of the Passes’.

The San Francisco region houses 5 California Missions.

The San Francisco Solano Mission is situated in Sonoma wine country and was the last to be built in the state. It harbors an infamous past of a Padre who was especially cruel to the natives.

The Dolores Mission is located near downtown San Francisco and barely survived the Great San Francisco Earthquake of 1906.

Other Bay Area missions can be found in San Rafael, San Jose and Santa Clara.

San Diego has the distinction of having not only the first California Mission, but the largest as well. The San Luis Rey Mission is located in Oceanside and was known as the ‘King of the Missions’ for its grand size.

The church at Mission San Juan Capistrano was completed in 1806. However, even after man’s efforts, it seems Mother Nature (or perhaps something else) had different plans. An earthquake in 1812, during the Feast Day of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin, wiped out the building killing 40 worshippers and a few bell ringers.

According to a report in the Orange County Register, the SyFy channel’s “Ghost Hunters” found that their electronic equipment became inoperable rather quickly after coming close to Mission San Juan Capistrano. The story reported that

“One presence might be Magdalena, a young woman who died in the earthquake that leveled the church while she was inside. Magdalena’s father had ordered her to go to the church that day to confess to a priest that she’d met with a young artist against her father’s wishes. She still had a candle in her hand when her body was found. Legend has it Magdalena’s face, illuminated by a candle, sometimes appears in the remaining windows of the Great Stone Church.”