Mission San Fernando Rey de España is a Christian religious center that was established by Spanish Roman Catholic priests in California. Between 1769 and 1823, Spanish priests started 21 missions as centers for teaching the Indians of California about Christianity. The Franciscan missionary Fermín Lasuén founded the mission on Sept. 8, 1797, in what is now Mission Hills, in the San Fernando Valley of California. The mission was named for Saint Ferdinand III, a king who ruled much of Spain during the 1200’s. Local Gabrielino Indians, also known as the Tongva, helped build the mission and were some of its earliest members.
Mission San Fernando produced grain, fruit, leather, soap, wine, and other products for the markets in the nearby pueblo (town) of Los Angeles. The mission’s sprawling pastureland held thousands of cattle, horses, and sheep. The mission became a popular stopping point for northbound travelers leaving Los Angeles on El Camino Real (The Royal Highway). The priests’ quarters—the convento—were continually expanded to make room for overnight guests. The “long building,” as the extended convento came to be known, is the largest adobe structure ever built in California.
As the mission drew more travelers and settlers, the Indian population dwindled, creating a labor shortage on the vast farmlands. In 1833 and 1834, the Mexican government seized and redistributed properties that had belonged to the missions, and Mission San Fernando eventually was abandoned. After gold was found in the area in 1842, prospectors dug up much of the mission grounds, including the church floor. The mission deteriorated, and by the late 1800’s, it served as warehouse, stable, and hog farm.
Mission San Fernando became a Roman Catholic parish again in 1923. The buildings were restored in the 1940’s. A 1971 earthquake destroyed the original church, and an exact replica was built in its place. The large convento building remains, complete with a wine press, smokehouse, and refectory (dining hall).
