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Mission San Francisco Solano

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

**Mission San Francisco Solano**
Location	Sonoma, California
Mission San Francisco Solano circa 1910.
Name as Founded	La Misíon de San Francisco Solano de Sonoma ^[1]
Translation	The Mission of Saint Francis Solano of Sonoma
Namesake	Saint Francis Solanus
Nickname(s)	Sonoma Mission
Founding Date	July 4, 1823 ^[2]
Founding Priest(s)	Father José Altimira
Founding Order	Twenty-First
Military District	Fourth
Native Tribe(s) Spanish Name(s)	Coast Miwok, Patwin, Pomo, Suisunes, Wappo
Owner	State of California
Current Use	Museum
California Historical Landmark	#3
Web Site	http://www.napanet.net/~sshpa/mission.htm

Mission San Francisco Solano was founded on July 4, 1823 and named for a missionary to the Indians of Peru born in Montilla, Spain, known as the "Wonder Worker of the New World." Originally planned as an asistencia ("sub-mission") to Mission San Rafael Arcángel, the northernmost Alta California mission. During the years the Mission was active, General Mariano Vallejo resided in town. He was tasked with monitoring the activities of the Russians at their nearby settlement of Fort Ross (krepost' rus'), and with establishing peaceful relations with the Native Americans of the region.^[3] Vallejo helped to build the town of Sonoma and even paid for the rebuilding of the small Mission chapel. There were always soldiers and settlers in the town of Sonoma during the Mexican period. The Franciscan Fathers grew grapes and produced sacramental wine from the first vineyard in the Sonoma Valley, which was first planted in 1825.

By 1839, the Mission was in ruins and unoccupied. Through the years the Mission saw many different uses, among these a blacksmith's shop, a barn, and even a storeroom. In 1846, European settlers took over the town in what has come to be known as the "Bear Flag Revolt". It was during this time that the Mission was sold to a man who used the chapel entrance as a saloon and stored his liquor and hay in the chapel. The Mission eventually became a parish church serving the Pueblo and Sonoma Valley until it was sold to a private interest in 1881.

In 1903, the Historic Landmark League bought the remains of Mission San Francisco Solano. Restoration was completed in 1913, and today the Mission is part of the Sonoma State Historic Park. It is open to visitors and has a small museum located in the padres' quarters. The restored chapel burned in 1970.

1 Other historic designations
2 Notes
3 References
4 See also
5 External links

A view of Mission San Francisco Solano on a rainy December day in 2004.

National Register of Historic Places #NPS-75000489 — Sonoma Plaza District
California Historical Landmark — San Francisco Solano Mission Vineyard

^ Leffingwell, p. 161
^ Yenne, p. 182
^ Nordlander, p. 10

Leffingwell, Randy (2005). California Missions and Presidios: The History & Beauty of the Spanish Missions. Voyageur Press, Inc., Stillwater, MN. ISBN 0-89658-492-5.
Nordlander, David J. (1994). For God & Tsar: A Brief History of Russian America 1741–1867. Alaska Natural History Association, Anchorage, AK. ISBN 0-930931-15-7.
Smilie, Robert A. (1975). The Sonoma Mission, San Francisco Solano de Sonoma: The Founding, Ruin and Restoration of California's 21st Mission. Valley Publishers, Fresno, CA. ISBN 0-913548-24-3.
Yenne, Bill (2004). The Missions of California. Thunder Bay Press, San Diego, CA. ISBN 1-59223-319-8.