Old Mission San Juan Bautista

Love love love visiting historic places such as this one. The grounds included an old hotel, an adobe house, a settler’s cabin, a one-​room jail, a church, a cemetery holding 4,000 plus Native Americans and settlers, and a barn/​stable area. This was a very vast area of land, and I couldn’t help but think about what this place meant to those who roamed this area hundreds of years ago. It also felt very surreal/​spiritual for me, like I felt a sadness/​creepiness overcome me while walking around. I felt that we could have explored the town a bit more if we had the time. Definitely a sight to see if you happen to drive by the area!

A une bonne heure de route au nord de Carmel-​By-​The-​Sea, se trouve un site historique par lequel je vous conseille de passer: la Mission espagnole de San Juan Bautista.
Rendez-​vous d’un autre âge dans cette ville californienne où tous les bâtiments semblent figés dans le temps et plus précisément à l’époque du far west et de la ruée vers l’or. Au cœur de la ville se trouve une des nombreuses Missions espagnoles que l’on croise régulièrement en Californie, tout comme les cloches de pèlerinage le long de la Highway. Mais cette Mission là né vous laissera pas indifférent, croyez moi. Bâtie en 1797, le bâtiment a subi de nombreux tremblements de terre. Deux des trois cloches ont d’ailleurs été détruites puis restaurées dans les années 2000. Il faut savoir qu’à quelques pas de cette Mission se trouve la faille de San Andreas. Impressionnant de lire ces infos quand on s’y trouve et encore plus lorsqu’on peut visualiser la ligne de cette faille juste sous nos pieds.
Mais revenons à cette Mission. Nous n’avons pas eu la chance de la visiter, les visites étaient terminées quand nous sommes arrivées et tout était fermé… Mais nous avons pu en faire le tour. Ce lieu est chargé d’histoire, le bâtiment a vécu. Ça se voit et ça se ressent. Jetez donc un œil par dessus la vieille porte en bois au bout du bâtiment, vous tomberez sur un paisible jardin. Plissez les yeux et observez… Vous découvrirez de très vieilles croix en bois plantées à même la terre. C’est comme cela que nous sommes tombés par hasard sur un des plus vieux cimetières de Californie où sont enterrés les premiers colons espagnols et les premiers indiens convertis à la religion catholique. La férue d’Histoire que je suis en est restée sans voix. J’aurai adoré pouvoir rencontrer les gardiens de cette Mission et échanger avec eux pour en apprendre encore plus. Ce sera pour une prochaine fois car c’est sûr nous repasserons par là.

$ 4 entrance fee for adults.
$ 3 for candles
Takes about 30 minutes for a self tour.
Parking is plentiful.
One of the prettier gardens in all of the missions I’ve visited.

As part of the California Mission trail, this historic site does not disappoint. In fact its surrounded by several other museum like attractions that paint a great picture of life in San Juan Batista in the 19^th century. Once done there, the main street is full of great little antique stores a few good restaurants. A great way to spend the day.

Beautiful historic site. There’s a lot of cool things to see here. You can easily spend a good 2 – 3 hours here. The Mission is a separate attraction to the hotel. Both are completely worth the price of admission.
Cool tip, in the church, take a look at the man made floor tiles. On some you will see animal paw prints. This is because the tiles were originally laid outdoors to dry. At night, animals searching for food left their prints on the tiles.

I was not expecting so much when I decided to visit this Mission. I didn’t get a chance to read the reviews before I went, but when I got there, boy was I surprised. It l’s like stepping back in time & history. It was awesome. The Mission itself is still a functioning church which is a plus & its almost look like the Mission in San Luis Obispo. AND the historic plaza hotel, the stables, & adobe house around town which you will find it cool if you’re into history & stuff. There’s a $ 4 admission fee to see the Mission museum & $ 3 to see the hotel, stable & adobe house. Which they need to maintain the area. So for those people who are trying to skip these small fees. Shame on you. :)) Overall, I enjoyed my visit & would love to go back & bring the kids.

Mission San Juan Bautista is an amazing structure who I recognized from Alfred Hitchcock’s film «Vertigo!“The views from the grounds are spectacular especially the garden behind the church!

Im a sucker for historic things and a field trip here a while back was fun. The activity of a working Mission is not something you encounter in the big city so it’s novel. Got one of those old school tallow candles as a take home. If you want a piece of the state’s original highway El Camino Real, this is one of the more interesting stops as opposed to the bell on the paved El Camino near my work

Founded on June 24^th, 1797, and dedicated on June 23, 1812, Mission San Juan Batista (MSJB) is the 15^th (of 21) Spanish Missions built in what is now present-​day California. Located adjacent to the infamous San Andreas Fault, and along the original El Camino Real (which at one time connected all of California’s Missions), visiting the MSJB is the proverbial blast from the past. In fact, I haven’t visited since I was a wee lad back in elementary school (Go Cougars!). While I’m sure I was tortured by this as a kid, I now think these kinds of things are terrific. As much as I love museums, I would much prefer to visit actual historical sites – and it doesn’t get more historical than this. Here’s a (hopefully) thorough guide to help you plan your visit:
Parking– There’s lots of free street parking surrounding the SJBM, so just find a spot and go for it. I visited on a Saturday evening, about an hour before closing, and I found a spot no problem.
Admission (Cash or Credit):
Adults (17+) — $ 4
Seniors (60+) — $ 3
Children (16 – 6) — $ 2
Kids (5 & under) — Free
Mass Schedule:
M-​F 12 p.m. (English)
Sat Vigil 5 p.m. (English)
Sun 8:30 a.m. & 10:00 a.m. (English) 1 p.m. (Spanish)
The Mission can be broken up into four primary areas: Gift Shop, Museum, Church/​Cemetery, and the Garden.
Gift Shop– This is where you enter, exit and pay your entrance fees. They’ve also got a pretty large selection of religious items, as well as your typical gift shop memorabilia. This was also the old store room, and once housed Donner Party survivors, the Breen family.
Museum– Located in the old Padre’s living quarters and Native’s workrooms, this is where most of the historic artifacts are kept. Unfortunately, I had to gloss over this part because I had my 4-​year-​old with me, and he just wasn’t having it.
Church/​Cemetery– This is definitely one of the highlights of MSJB; the church itself has three naves (aka aisles) which makes it the widest of all the missions, and the alter is truly magnificent. The cemetery is small, but somber and houses the remains of over 4,000 Natives and Europeans. Also, while in the church, be sure to look for animal prints in the floor tiles – my son thought that was a hoot!
Garden– This was my personal favorite part of the MSJB. The garden was beautiful and well-​maintained; the old architecture is a treat for the eyes; and there were a lot of cool, old relics thrown in for good measure. This is the spot to break out your camera!
It’s also important to note that this is still an active church and, unless you plan on attending mass, then you should plan your trip around those times. The whole tour shouldn’t take more than 1 – 2 hours depending on how thorough you want to be. You don’t have to be religious to enjoy MSJB, just a fan of history and cool architecture.

I was so excited to visit my first ever mission. I was very turned off by all the caution, warning, «do not…», signs. I felt like they were around every corner. It really ruined the serenity, and historical aesthetic. Outside, there were orange cones everywhere. I also was surprised of the parking lot that was outside of the row of arches. Maybe I came with too high of expectations, but for a church, and historical site, I felt like it was over commercialized with tacky signs. I also was shocked by the gift shop. 90% of it was crap from China you could order online. I was expecting handmade, local artistry items, commemorating the church, and historical site. I’m sorry for being such a buzzkill in my review, I just don’t know why any church, or organization would want to ruin such a beautiful location.

Was a nice stop on our way back back from Mendocino county. It was a nice mission. Friendly staff. It was nice coming on a weekday not too many people, parking was abundant, and it was nice taking a stroll through the town.

One of the California missions stretched along the California coast from San Diego to Sonoma. This mission is an easy day trip from the Central San Joaquin Valley with only taking about 2 hours from Fresno.
There is much to see with the historical buildings remaining around the mission grounds. Standing on the far north side of the mission property, one can see the old remains of the El Camino Real that was the main 600 mile thoroughfare for California to connect the 21 missions in the 1700s and 1800s.
My favorite part of the mission is the garden in the back of the church building. It is a lovely place to retreat and contemplate all God has done.

Mission San Juan Bautista is the largest of the California missions; it has the only surviving original plaza. It’s in a spectacular setting, overlooking the San Andreas Fault&the historical, non-​crowded part of the El Camino Real. Mission San Juan Bautista was established in 1797; the large mission church was completed in 1812. There’s amazing artwork, from the reredos (altar screen) with its statues of the patron saint, St. Dominic, St. Francis&St. Anthony of Padua, to depictions of the Twelve Apostles lining the sides, to the pulpit with a dove representing the Holy Spirit.
The museum is an eerie place, with its surprising cold spots even on a hot Central Valley day. Patrick Breen, a survivor of the Donner Party, lived in a part of the house. The cemetery has a few anonymous crosses marking the site where over 4000 people were buried.
Mission San Juan Bautista is a highlight of the California mission trail.

This is one of the larger missions and not to far off the 101. Has a nice museum and the actual church is quite large and well kept up. Worth a stop if you’re in the area.

My husband and I enjoy visiting missions, and San Juan Bautista has the largest church we have seen so far. We came during 10am mass and attended service. The parish was very active and welcoming, they ate probably used to tourists.
The mission tour is $ 4, but you don’t need to pay to see the church if you come during services. However, the mission does rely on donations to keep their facilities going, so paying the few bucks to see incredible relics is worth it. I enjoyed seeing the vestals on display in the museo.

This has always been one of my favorites of all the California Missions. Growing up in California and attending Catholic schools you definitely learn a lot about the different missions and this particular mission is where I was baptized many many years ago.
The mission grounds are very well preserved and there is a small garden near the chapel. I remember coming here for field trips when I was younger and also touring through the plaza and historical buildings across the lawn from the mission.
If you’re a bit a history buff, you’ll enjoy touring through the mission museum and other parts of the grounds as there is surprisingly quite a bit to see.

This well preserved mission is in the number two spot on my favorite mission list. It isn’t a part of the State of California Historical Park that it shares the plaza with. The plaza, restored buildings, and the mission give a real feel for an early California settlement. The setting is rural enough that you can get a feeling for life in the 18^th and 19^th century; if you can find a parking place.
The interior garden is filled with roses and old cactus plants. The museum has artifacts and rooms decorated as they were during the mission period of California. This is a must see for anyone who wants to know more about California before statehood.

This is my favorite place to go when I come to San Juan Bautista. I personally, am not a major religious person myself, but i can appreciate the history that surrounds this mission and the historical park. I once even did a research project on this place for a college course. This mission is truly beautiful with its carved wood and stained glass that carry the natural light. The connected garden is full of succulents, roses and other plants. One time, I saw an owl hiding on one of the trees in the garden which was an amazing sight! Near the mission is the historic park that has adobe buildings such as an old hotel.
The Hitchcock movie, Vertigo was filmed there. This is my favorite Hitchcock movie and I absolutely love how this mission area was used in the scenes. The stable that houses a large collection of horse drawn carriages was filmed in the movie. Kim Novak sat in one of the carriages. Although, there is one inaccuracy on the movie and that is regarding a tower. The mission has no tower. I think at one time it did but way before the movie was ever made, the tower was destroyed. The tower that is seen in the movie is actually a painting. The inside scenes of the supposed tower was actually filmed somewhere else. It is really worthwhile to listen the the commentary of the movie Vertigo as much of this is explained. Apparently, people often come to the mission looking for the tower!
Pros:
–has historical significance
–been filmed in Alfred Hitchcock movie — Vertigo
–fascinating museums located on grounds
–events throughout the year are held here
–wild chickens throughout the town
–attractive garden full of roses, fruit trees and more
–located in a historic town with old world charm
–located near San Andreas fault line — you can actually see the line nearby
Cons:
–Nothing!

For the Mission itself, I thought this was a 3.5-star experience… but combine it with the State Park and you can easily spend a 5-​star day in SJB. The two are separate (fee) entrances, and the mission is slightly more ($ 6 for my 10yo and myself I think).
Be sure to check out the seismograph (near the San Andreas fault) to the far left as you first enter the courtyard from the store entrance.
The museum section was not as well done as SF or Sonoma… and it’s very musty inside. If you’re prone to allergies… I could feel my lungs tighten up the minute we walked in. The thing my son found most interesting in this section was the large scale model and accompanying video that told it’s history.
The sanctuary of this mission is by far larger than the previously mentioned missions. Look for the animal prints in the floor along the central aisle. A small, peaceful cemetery off the sanctuary gives a wonderful view. This is an active church… so it could be occupied with weddings and such during your visit.
The small courtyard has an overgrown garden. Kind of a shame. Also we weren’t so enamored of the piped in, super repetitive music.
Rounding up to 4 stars for high marks to SJB as an overall point of interest in California history.

This is the first mission I’ve ever visited and it’s still my favorite.
It’s in a cute town near Gilroy so you can definitely smell the garlic in the air. And panoramic views are so beautiful as you stroll through the grounds.
And you can walk around the town and get a feel of what it was like back in those days.

*************LOCAL NEW MEXICO*****************
Not just gorgeous surrounding but ultra peaceful. it’s the peach colored buildings that blend so well with the warm surroundings that I love.
Mysterious buildings that opens into more mysterious rooms. A gift shop that is filled with religious offerings that fits the surroundings well.
A church that commands respect and atonement. it’s an overall wonderful place to reflect.
The outside of the building is well situated to remind you why the missions existed in the first place. An ancient cemetery locked away with an equally ancient looking padlock that separates the dead from the living.
To the right of the cemetery is an overlook. Here you can sit and relax and for once enjoy the serenity that this place offers.
This mission sits in downtown San Juan Bautista. Parking is limited to the streets and could be a little full during the weekends. Tourists tend to linger longer to enjoy the bbq that is the fair that the locals put up. Tried it and it wasn’t bad at all :)