Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa

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**Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa**
Location	San Luis Obispo, California
Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa circa 1909.
Name as Founded	La Misión de San Luis Obispo de Tolosa ^[1]
Translation	The Mission of Saint Louis Bishop of Toulouse
Namesake	Saint Louis, Bishop of Toulouse, France
Nickname(s)	"Mission in the Valley of Bears" ^[2]
Founding Date	September 1, 1772 ^[3]
Founding Priest(s)	Father Presidente Junípero Serra
Founding Order	Fifth
Military District	Third
Native Tribe(s) Spanish Name(s)	Obispeño
Owner	Roman Catholic Church
Current Use	Parish Church / Museum
Coordinates	35°16′34″N, 120°40′05″W
California Historical Landmark	#325
Web Site	http://www.missionsanluisobispo.org

Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa was founded1772 on the Central Coast of California on a site located halfway between Santa Barbara and Monterey. The Mission church of San Luis Obispo is unusual in its design in that its combination of belfry and vestibule is found nowhere else among the California missions. The main nave is long and narrow (as is the case with other mission churches), but at San Luis Obispo there is a secondary nave of almost equal size situated to the right of the altar, making this the only "L"-shaped mission church among all of the California missions.

In 1776, nearby Chumash Indians (who had also built the Mission) attacked, setting it ablaze with burning arrows. The roof, made of tule reeds, burned readily, so the fathers came up with the idea of tiling the roof with ceramic tiles (an idea which caught on at all of the other missions). The Spanish soldiers who were responsible for upholding the Mission's safety were quite successful at hunting bears that roamed the area, and thus supplied many of the other missions with bear meat. The Santa Margarita Asistencia functioned as an outpost, chapel, and storehouse for Mission San Luís Obispo. The Mission padres and Indians reportedly carried on extensive grain cultivation at the site.

In 1845, Governor Pío Pico declared the Mission buildings for sale and he sold everything except the church for a total of $510. John C. Frémont and his "California Battalion" used the Mission as a base of operations during their war with Mexico in 1846 (see Bear Flag Revolt). The Mission fell into ruins during the period of secularization and the priests that were left would rent out rooms to help support the Mission. The Mission San Luís Obispo de Tolosa became the first courthouse and jail in San Luis Obispo County, California. In 1872, during the 100th anniversary of the Mission, improvements began, but real restoration did not begin until 1933. The Mission is still the center of the busy downtown area, and functions as a Roman Catholic parish church for the City of San Luis Obispo in the Diocese of Monterey. Although many changes have come to the Mission, it remains the center of town.

1 Notes
2 References
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] Notes

^ Leffingwell, p. 85
^ Yenne, p. 56
^ Yenne, p. 56

[edit] References

Leffingwell, Randy (2005). California Missions and Presidios: The History & Beauty of the Spanish Missions. Voyageur Press, Inc., Stillwater, MN. ISBN 0-89658-492-5.
Yenne, Bill (2004). The Missions of California. Advantage Publshers Group, San Diego, CA. ISBN 1-59223-319-8.

[edit] See also

Spanish missions in California
USNS Mission San Luis Obispo — a Mission Buenaventura Class fleet oiler built during World War II.

[edit] External links

Elevation & Site Layout sketches of the Mission proper

Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa as it looked circa 1900. Note that the wooden belfry has been removed and the chapel façade has been modified substantially in the recent photo at right.