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You are here: Home / Mission San Luis Rey de Francia Facts

Mission San Luis Rey de Francia Facts

Location: 4050 Mission Ave, Oceanside, CA 92057

Date founded: June 13, 1798

Patron saint: St. Louis, King of France.

Founder: Fr. Fermín de Lasuén.

Native peoples:

Quechnajuichom (Luiseño), Kumeyaay (Diegueño),

Goods produced: Wheat, barley, corn, beans.

Features: Large adobe and ladrillo (brick) church and bell tower with blue cupola. Octagonal chapel inside church.

Current status: Roman Catholic parish and retreat center.

Historical landmark number: California Historical Landmark no. 239; National Historical Landmark

Interesting facts: Birthplace of California Indian ethnographer and seminarian Pablo Tac. The Disney television show Zorro was filmed here in the 1950s.

Important events:

  • 1815: Present church completed.
  • January 17, 1832: Fr. Antonio Peyrí leaves for Rome with Pablo Tac and Agapito Amamix, two Luiseño boys who will study for the priesthood.
  • 1846: U.S. Army scout Kit Carson together with General Kearny and his soldiers camp on the mission grounds.
  • 1865: President Lincoln signs proclamation restoring the mission to the Bishop of Los Angeles.

Website: www.sanluisrey.org

I’m Dr. Damian Bacich, and I started the California Frontier Project. Learn more about me and the project here.

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