Mission San Juan Bautista

Mission San Juan Bautista was founded on June 24, 1797 by Father Fermin de Lasuen, the fifteenth mission in the California mission chain. It is named for St. John the Baptist. It is located in the town of San Juan Bautista, in San Benito County. The town grew up around the mission. Barracks for soldiers, a nunnery, the Castro House and other buildings were constructed around a large grassy plaza in front of the church and can be seen today in their original form. The town of San Juan Bautista grew rapidly during the California Gold Rush and continues to be a thriving community today.

Mission San Juan Bautista has served mass daily since 1797, so there never was much of a rebirth. The mission was restored once in 1884. In 1949, the mission was restored with financing by the Hearst foundation.