The Mission San Juan Capistrano You May Not Know

By: Dr. Gary Smuts

Most Californians know the story: About 250 years ago, Junipero Serra and his company of devoted Franciscans established a series of 21 missions throughout part of the Spanish empire known as Alta California. In fourth grade, many spend more time constructing sugar cube replicas than actually learning about these outposts of faith and empire.

 Mission San Juan Capistrano (MSJC) was the third mission established, slotted between Missions San Gabriel to the north and San Luis Rey to the south, and there are a few features that render MSJC special.

 Father Serra’s church is the oldest building in California still in use. And speaking of Father Serra, his eponymous chapel is the only remaining mission building where it is documented that the Saint celebrated mass.

 The oldest residential neighborhood in all of California—The Los Rios District—surrounds MSJC.

 California’s wine industry, the nation’s largest by far, began here when the Padres planted the Criolla or Mission Grape and fermented its juice.

 The Great Stone Church boasted a vast domed roof constructed of local stone, not the usual wood and adobe. Built in the shape of a cross, the enormous edifice boasted 50-foot walls and a 120-foot bell tower. Witnesses claimed it was the most magnificent building in all of California. Alas, the Great Stone Church crumbled on the morning of December 8, 1812 when a magnitude 7.5 earthquake turned it into rubble, tragically burying forty-two native Acjachemen under the debris.

 California’s only pirate, Hipolito Bouchard, raided the Mission’s warehouse in 1818 after rebuffing Spanish efforts to persuade him otherwise. “The Day the Pirates Sacked the Mission” is still celebrated.

 The first feature films made in OC used MSJC as their backdrop. D.W. Griffith’s 1910 western, The Two Brothers and the first Zorro film, Johnston McCulley’s The Curse of Capistrano, used the Mission as their setting.

 While the fabled swallows no longer return on St. Joseph’s Day (March 19) due to loss of habitat, the Mission still honors Leon René, the composer who penned “When the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano.” His piano and original sheet music are housed there.

 Long before Mission San Juan Capistrano was founded in 1776, the Acjachemen knew the land “…where the world was created, the precious meaning of its being was given to the rocks, trees, and water… .” Discover your own “precious meaning;” plan a visit to the mission for the whole family and please consider becoming a member.

Plan a visit to the mission for the whole family and please consider becoming a member. Membership helps support museum exhibits and educational programs, preservation of the historic site, and conservation of the many artifacts located within the mission walls. Other perks of membership include free general admission and audio tours year-round, discounts and advance purchase options for events held at the mission, and invitations to lectures and programs to name just a few. Visit missionsjc.com to learn more.