San Diego's Spanish heritage is preserved in its beautiful missions. Often referred to as the "King of Missions", San Luis Rey is one of four missions located in San Diego. Located about 30-minutes north of downtown, Mission San Luis Rey de Francia is the largest of California's twenty-one missions. Spread over 56 acres, this tranquil house of worship is home to a museum, picnic gardens, a lavanderia, a retreat center, conference rooms and a gift shop. Land in the New World could be claimed rather inexpensively by establishing a mission, so Spain sent padres, instead of soldiers. San Luis Rey was founded in 1798 by Padre Fermin Francisco de Lausuen, successor to Padre Junipero Serra. By the early 1800's, the mission became home to approximately 3,000 Luiseno Indians who harvested grapes, oranges, olives, wheat and corn from the region. Just 32 years after it was established, San Luis Rey became the largest building in California. Although legislation passed in 1833 stated that the mission and its land were to be given back to the Indians, it fell into the hands of various secular administrators who gained title to large portions of former mission land and livestock, leaving the Indians with nada. In the mid-19th century, the mission was an operational base used by the United States military. It is during this period that the soldiers stationed nearby used materials from the mission to build their own houses and various structures were damaged or buried. Abraham Lincoln returned San Luis Rey to the Catholic Church in 1865, but it lay abandoned until 1892. The church was eventually repaired and the living quarters on the foundation of the old mission were rebuilt for a group of Franciscans from Mexico seeking refuge in California. Restoration has continued throughout the years. During the mid-20th century, Friars discovered the soldier's barracks and the lavanderia, which were previously submerged in dirt. The church's exterior was restored in 1984 and the conservation of paintings, sculptures and other art works remains a perpetual process. Archeological investigations also continue today. Visitors are free to roam the grounds daily from 10 am to 4:30 pm. While you are there you can see California's first pepper tree, which was brought from Peru and planted here in 1830. General admission is $4, families are admitted for $12 and it's free for kids under 7.---Words and photos by Michael Rando
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