Mission San Miguel Arcángel

Yes it is. Just be mindful you are at a catholic church. Appropriate protocols should be adhered to.

Yes it is because of the many Native Americans who have died there

Omg I didn't know that...

About somewhere 10-30?

Spain sent both military and missionaries to gain control of the new lands of Alta California. Fearing competition from Russia who was establishing settlements north of San Francisco, the Spanish King Carlos III decided to use both. Where a military presence protected vital water 'bays' like the San Diego Bay, using the Catholic Church to development of a mission chain offered a cheaper way to claim the lands. So Spain essentially used missions to solidify their absolute control of Alta California. The Catholic Church saw pagans (native populations) who needed conversion to the Church in order to save their lives. With missions, the priests used baptism (conversion to the faith), and in exchange, forced the neophytes to remain within the mission for necessary education in both religion and trade. The Catholic Fathers wanted to 'civilize' the native populations. It was necessary in order for missions to become self supporting and profitable. I hope this helps explain other issues.

Like all missions, they produced a variety in both livestock and crops. I have a photo within Google Maps at this site about Mission San Miguel's wheat. "After the founding of the Mission on July 25, 1797, this tract" (the lands surrounding the mission) "became one of the first wheat fields in California. 4700 bushels of wheat were harvested in 1800." I am pretty sure that most wheat was produced to remain in Alta California and was probably traded among other missions as a necessary food source. Wheat was certainly one of the biggest crops grown here. They also grew corn, barley, peas and grapes. They also raised animals, including cattle, horses and sheep. Cattle would have produced the product of leather, and sheep produced wool. Leather was certainly shipped back to Spain as a traded commodity.

You should contact the Franciscan Friars directly about Brother Ramon’s ashes. I suggest contacting them at Mission Santa Barbara. They have special niches there for the ashes of the Franciscan Friars and many that were at our Mission were laid to rest there. Burials have not been allowed at Mission San Miguel Cemetery for quite awhile due to the fact that the locations of all of the burials are not known, especially those of the Salinan Indians laid to rest there.

The museum and gift shop are open Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday from 10 am to 4 pm.

Unless they are service dogs, they are not allowed in our museum and church however they can be on our grounds and picnic areas.

Give it

I'm sorry - our gift shop is currently closed.

The San Miguel Mission is in a small town. However the next few towns south of San Miguel have many wineries if that's of interest.

No. They are ok outside, but not anywhere inside....not the church or mission museum.

No, dogs

The bell tower in the historic cemetery is beautiful. You really should visit if you can.

Huell Howser did a really good video on Mission San Miguel. Here's the link. It includes other missions as well. https://blogs.chapman.edu/huell-howser-archives/2000/12/08/california-missions-california-missions-104/

None, come and visit is a beautiful church

Mission San Miguel is a Roman Catholic Church run by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Monterey.

I typically attend english mass noon Sun.

I loved the original hand painted walls very beautiful still after all these years

Yes, they are buried there. People that live in the area.

There's good information on the website for the mission. If you can visit the mission, go on a Sunday and talk to a man named Wayne. He's a docent and knows everything about the mission. You can't miss him with his hat and walking stick.

Go to web site

Sunday mass is 7:00 am (English), 12:00 pm (English), and 6:00 pm (Spanish).

N/A

Along the 101 fwy to the north, there you mark the descent in San Miguel there are two exits and then you can visit the vineyards.

Not haunted, but it does have a powerful presence. You really feel God there, along with the history of the place.

Call them

They are nit open on sunday. They have mass all day

There's a lot of really cool recreations of what life was like during the hay day of the mission. Is kinda of a bummer that not all of the mission is accessible but what is viewable is pretty cool. The chapel is very impressive. There are still monks who reside here and they have regular masses on a constant basis. Over all a very enjoyable experience. Not on the scale of some of the other missions as far as restoration but very nice.

Sounds like a report due soon. How about specific questions concerning San Miguel showing your interest in the history of this Mission instead?

Like all the 21 California missions, the nearby Native Americans would have done the physical labor in the building of each mission. Here, at Mission San Miguel, it was the Salinan people. At founding in 1797, a wooden cross would have been planted to hold its first service. It was quickly followed by a temporary wooden structure with a small adobe church built in 1798. As the surrounding Salinan people were converted in Christianity (becoming neophytes), they were taught the skills to make the adobe bricks that would constuct its Mission buildings. When the neophyte population got large enough (outgrowing its original small adobe church), the current Mission San Miguel was built from 1816-1818. Native Americans who converted to the Catholic Faith, who became neophytes, became the labor force that allowed all California missions to exist and prosper.

Mission San Miguel Arcangel was the 16th Mission along the Camino Real, founded in 1797 by Father Fermin Lasuen.

Mission San Miguel was the 16th (of 21) built along the Camino Real, founded in 1797 by Father Fermin Lasuen.

For those of you who are wondering if you are involved, Mission San Miguel, I have been in more than 2 occasions there and in particular I have felt very comfortable, the last time was at the resurrection Mass on Saturday, March 31st. 8 PM ending at 11 PM

This mission was built using adobe, sun-dried blocks made from mud and straw. Clay tiles were added for roofs. They protected the mud walls from rain which would cause significant damage. The adobe bricks were not fired like the roof clay tiles and weren't very durable. The clay roof tiles also helped during attacks from the natives. When the first adobe structures were built, they had thatch roofs made from plants. Flaming arrows burnt down to the ground several mission buildings along the Camino Real. Clay tiles solved that problem.

Father Fermín Lasuén. Founded on July 25, 1797. Built in 1821. 😁

No, like all missions in Alta California, the Fathers converted the local natives (becoming neophytes) who then lived within the missions. There, they were taught lessons in the Catholic faith, but also trades. The missions were set up to educate natives in learning skills. While that included learning new skills in growing crops (all tribes had been nomadic) or raising herd animals (replacing hunting), many were taught how to make adobe bricks for building construction. One could argue that some neophytes wanted to leave missions to return to their nomadic roots and traditions, it would be incorrect to classify this as a slave situation. Many willingly accepted the teachings of the Catholic Church and the new life it provided. Happiness within the various missions was tied to the 'strictness' of each mission's authoritative Father. In some missions, revolts occurred with what was percieved as unfair treatment and beatings. In others, the Father was truly loved and respected.

I haven't found any reference to a US president visiting here. But one could say that indeed a president did visit. This Mission was founded by Father-President Fermin Lasuen in 1797. Fr Lasuen became Father-President after the death of Fr Serra, the first Father-President in Alta California. It meant that they were in charge of all decisions concerning all the established missions, and the founding of new ones. Father-President was a title given by the Catholic Church in Rome.

Not sure what that means...

The Mexican government seized Mission San Miguel in 1836 after the Secularization Act of 1833. The Mission was sold in 1846 for $600 which became a home. After the Reed family was murdered in 1848, the Mission was turned into a hotel, contained stores, and even a saloon. President Buchanan returned the buildings to the Catholic Church in 1859. In 1878, a small parish under the control of the Santa Barbara Diocese was finally re-established. Since then, the site has continued to be an active Catholic Church. The devastating San Simeon earthquake in 2003 has forced continuous, expensive repairs and now-required earthquake retrofitting. So, lots has happened here.

It very much depended on if the native women were married or not. Though both women's groups did much of the same work (the male neophytes worked in the fields or ranch lands), women tended to the nearby gardens, made candles or soap, or were taught skills like weaving--how they were treated at nighttime was different. Unmarried women and older girls were placed in a crowded dormitory situation, locked away at night "for their protection." The Catholic Fathers were very strict, only allowing 'dating' through the building's window before a proposal of marriage was accepted and allowed by the Church. Because this dormitory situation was unsanitary and so crowded, disease was rampant here. So many died that the unmarried neophyte males would ask the priests to 'raid' surrounding villages so wives might be found. Mission life for women wasn't just making soap. Their lives were greatly impacted by very strict rules which impacted their health and freedom.

I don't know if you are looking for a specific uprising. The biggest (?) occurred in 1824. Called the Chumash Rebellion of 1824, it occurred after a soldier beat a neophyte youth at Mission Santa Ines. The Santa Ines Chumash sent for help from other Missions. Here, a large fire developed and destroyed buildings. It is reported, though, that it was the Chumash who put the fire out. The Rebellion expanded to Mission Santa Barbara where their Chumash neophytes temporarily took control of this Mission before running away. At Mission La Purisima, the Chumash reportedly took control for one month. It wasn't until soldiers from Monterrey arrived before the rebellion was stopped, but with 17 deaths. More Chumash were later sentenced to die. After the Rebellion, many of the Chumash left their missions for the mountains. Without neophytes, the missions could not function. Two expeditions of soldiers went to find the Chumash and plead with them to return.

16th, founded in 1797 by Franciscan Fr Fermin Lasuen

I don't believe it was moved. Though it was built 3 times. The first wooden structure was temporary. A fire in 1806 destroyed the second, small adobe church, which had a hatched roof, and other outer buildings. Rebuilding of the larger, current mission occurred in 1816-1818. The reason for the gap in time happened because approval of the new church plans, building and funding (paperwork) had to come from the Spanish King Carlos III and the higher Catholic officials, also in Spain. Paperwork traveled back and forth via ships, of course.

Yes

Mission San Miguel Arcangel was founded in 1797, the 16th mission built. It was located here to be halfway between Mission San Antonio de Padua and Mission San Luis Obispo, so that travel between missions would only be one day travel apart.