There is one historic place in Southern California where visitors gather, only to return again and again. It is the famous old Spanish Mission at San Juan Capistrano, the quaint little town located above the shores of the Pacific, halfway between San Diego and Los Angeles.
Mission San Juan Capistrano is beautiful and old and romantic. You can hear the tolling of its centuries old bells and walk down its time worn paths. Its serenity and peace amid lush gardens and cool fountains, cloistered by old adobe walls, offers visitors seclusion from the sounds and sights of a busy world.
Mission San Juan Capistrano has been the historic center of Orange County since its founding by Padre Junipero Serra on November 1, 1776. Today it is one of California's most important cultural and educational centers as well. Mission San Juan Capistrano is the seventh of 21 Spanish Missions established in California by Franciscan Padres.
Spain controlled California until 1821, when Mexico won its independence. In 1845, the Mission was sold for $710 to Don Juan Forster. His family lived at the Mission for 20 years. In 1865, Abraham Lincoln returned the Mission to the Catholic Church.
Today, Mission San Juan Capistrano, under the direction of Gerald J. Miller, has begun a 10 year stabilization and preservation project which focuses on preserving the Mission buildings into the next century.
The $20-million preservation campaign to protect the historical landmark began with the temporary shoring and bracing of the stone church and the stabilization of the Mission's historic adobe buildings. Mission San Juan Capistrano is a non-profit historical site supported solely by tourism and gifts. Those interested in assisting the preservation of this timeless monument to Native American, Spanish, Mexican and European cultures have two important ways to contribute to our preservation campaign.
1. - The Mission Preservation Membership Program
2. - The Mission Preservation Tile Program
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