Mission San Francisco Solano
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Mission San Francisco Solano was founded on July 4, 1823 by Father José Altamira, the twenty-first and last of the California mission chain. It was named for Saint Francis Solano, missionary to the Indians of Peru and was originally planned as an asistencia ("sub-mission") to Mission San Rafael Arcángel. The northernmost mission is located in Sonoma, California.
During the years the mission was active, General Mariano Vallejo resided in the area. His job was keep an eye on the Russians at their settlement at nearby Fort Ross. Vallejo helped to build the town of Sonoma and even paid for the rebuilding of the small mission chapel. There were always soldiers and settlers in the town of Sonoma during the Mexican period. The Franciscan Fathers grew grapes and produced sacramental wine from the first vineyard in the Sonoma Valley, which was first planted in 1825.
By 1839 the mission was in ruins and no one lived there. Through the years the mission was used as a blacksmith's shop and later as a saloon. It was also used as a barn and a storeroom. In 1846, across from the mission a group of American settlers raised a flag and claimed the land for the California Republic. The settlers took over the town and put Mariano Vallejo in prison. (See the Bear Flag Revolt.) During this time no one wanted the mission; it was sold to a man who used the chapel entrance as a saloon and stored his liquor and hay in the chapel. The Mission eventually became a parish church serving the Pueblo and Sonoma Valley until it was sold to a private interest in 1881.
In 1903 the Historic Landmark League bought the remains of Mission San Fransico Solano. Restoration was completed in 1913, and today the Mission is part of the Sonoma State Historic Park. It is open to visitors and has a small museum located in the padres' quarters.
San_Francisco_Solano_circa_1940_Will_Connell.jpg
Historic designations
- National Register of Historic Places #NPS-75000489 - Sonoma Plaza District
- California Historic Landmark #3
- California Historic Landmark #739 - San Francisco Solano Mission Vineyard
See also
External links
- Official mission website (http://www.napanet.net/~sshpa/mission.htm/)
- Elevation & Site Layout sketches of the Mission proper (http://www.mymission.org/images/sanfran.gif)
