Just a couple of miles north of our campground on Hwy 101 is the Old Mission San Miguel Archangel. We had passed it on our way to this campground in Paso Robles last Thursday. So after church and lunch, the four of us decided to go and check it out especially because this area of Hwy 101 is El Camino Real - the Kings Highway - along which the 21 missions were planted back in the late 1700s. In fact, the symbol along the highway for this road is a bell on a shepherd's crook and one stands on the entry road to our campground.
This mission was founded in 1797 by Father Fermin Francisco de Lasuen.
This is a scaled model of the complex
It is considered to be one of the best preserved missions - in fact today it is much the same as when it was first built. That was really brought home to us when we stepped into the kitchen with its uneven tiled floor, an old beehive oven in the corner, and poles overhead that were used to lay meat over to dry. We felt like we were truly stepping back in time when we entered it.
The very next room was the dining room
This was one of the bedrooms
One of the gathering rooms was used as a museum to share some of the relics from the time period when it was being used. It included this very impressive statue of St. Michael (San Miguel for whom the mission is named) attempting to slay Satan. It is made of wood and was created in Spain.
This was one of the hand made manuscripts for the choir director - a mammoth book on a stand. The person in charge of music truly loved it and trained most of the Indians on a variety of instruments as well as in choral singing. They apparently were exceptionally good.
Much of the rest of the museum area of the mission was devoted to telling the story of the Salinans, the Indians who lived in the area and who were the primary focus of the mission. These people were being converted to Catholicism and then taught various skills to help in the running of the mission and the acerage around it including raising wheat and cattle, raising olives for oil and grapes for wine. A couple of thousand of those Indians are buried in the cemetery on the property.
The church was very colorful. Much of the painting was done by the Indians who were trained for that purpose.
An oil painting with carved wood stations of the cross hung all along both walls with beautifully designed painted walls behind them.
And this is a close up of the front of the church and all of its decorations - each with its own special meaning. Note the "eye of God" at the very center and top to remind the Indians that God was all seeing and all knowing.
This pulpit was on the side wall.
Outside there was a huge center court surrounded by colorful colonades - covered walkways that led to the various rooms in the building itself.
After we returned, Bette and I enjoyed playing Triominos, Scrabble, and Farkle at the picnic table next to our RVs that sit side by side. Frank and Ken enjoyed relaxing with a book.
Tomorrow we will pack up and be off for Castric, California near the Los Angeles area.
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