Mission
San
Juan
Bautista
was
founded
on
June
24,
1797
by
Father
Fermin
de
Lasuen,
the
fifteenth
mission
in
the
California
mission
chain.
It
is
named
for
St.
John
the
Baptist.
It
is
located
in
the
town
of
San
Juan
Bautista,
in
San
Benito
County.
The
town
grew
up
around
the
mission.
Barracks
for
soldiers,
a
nunnery,
the
Castro
House
and
other
buildings
were
constructed
around
a
large
grassy
plaza
in
front
of
the
church
and
can
be
seen
today
in
their
original
form.
The
town
of
San
Juan
Bautista
grew
rapidly
during
the
California
Gold
Rush
and
continues
to
be
a
thriving
community
today.
Mission
San
Juan
Bautista
has
served
mass
daily
since
1797,
so
there
never
was
much
of
a
rebirth.
The
mission
was
restored
once
in
1884.
In
1949,
the
mission
was
restored
with
financing
by
the
Hearst
foundation.