Mission San Miguel Arcangel
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Mission San Miguel Arcángel was founded on July 25, 1797 by Father Fermín Francisco de Lasuén, the sixteenth mission in the California mission chain. This specific site was chosen due to the large number of Salinan Indians that inhabited the area. The Mission was named for St. Michael the Archangel and is located in the town of San Miguel, California, in San Luis Obispo County.
In 1846 Governor Pío Pico sold the mission for $600 to Petronillo Rios and William Reed. Reed used the mission as a family residence and a store. In 1848, Reed left to find gold as a participant in the California Gold Rush. The Mission was a stopping place for miners coming from Los Angeles to San Francisco, and was consequently was used as a saloon, dance hall, storeroom and living quarters.
In 1878, after 38 years without a resident padre, Father Philip Farrelly became the "First Pastor" of Mission San Miguel Arcángel. Through all the years the priests kept the church in condition and it is called the best-preserved church in the mission chain today. In 1928, Mission San Miguel Arcángel and Mission San Antonio de Padua were returned to the Franciscan order. Since then, the mission has been repaired and restored.
Today the mission continues to serve the town as an active parish church. It has one of the best preserved interiors and gives one of the best examples of old mission life.
Unfortunately, harmonic vibrations from the nearby Union Pacific Railroad mainline has weakened the unreinforced masonry structures over the years. The San Simeon earthquake on December 22, 2003 caused severe damage to the sanctuary at Mission San Miguel. It will be a several years before seismic retrofitting of the structure (estimated to cost between $10 million and $20 million) will be completed. Until then the building will be off-limits to the public.
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Historic designations
- National Register of Historic Places #NPS-71000191
- California Historic Landmark #326
See also
External links
- Official mission website (http://www.missionsanmiguel.org/)
- Elevation & Site Layout sketches of the Mission proper (http://www.mymission.org/images/miguel.gif)
- Virtual Reality Panorama "Inside Mission San Miguel" (http://virtualguidebooks.com/CentralCalif/ElCaminoReal/SalinasValley/SanMiguelInteriorL.html)
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