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Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa facts for kids

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Missíon San Luis Obispo De Tolosa
Missíon San Luis Obispo De Tolosa
Missión San Luis Obispo de Tolosa in 2011.
Missíon San Luis Obispo De Tolosa is located in California
Missíon San Luis Obispo De Tolosa
Location in California
Location 728 Monterey St.
San Luis Obispo, California 93401
Coordinates 35°16′50″N 120°39′52″W / 35.28056°N 120.66444°W / 35.28056; -120.66444
Name as founded La Misión de San Luís Obispo de Tolosa
English translation The Mission of Saint Louis Bishop of Toulouse
Patron Saint Louis of Anjou, Bishop of Toulouse, France
Nickname(s) "Prince of the Missions"
"Mission in the Valley of Bears" 
"The Accidental Mission" 
Founding date September 1, 1772 
Founding priest(s) Father Presidente Junípero Serra
Founding Order Fifth
Military district Third
Native tribe(s)
Spanish name(s)
Chumash
Obispeño
Native place name(s) Tilhini
Baptisms 2,644
Marriages 763
Burials 2,268
Governing body Roman Catholic Diocese of Monterey
Current use Parish Church / Museum
Reference no. 325
Website
http://www.missionsanluisobispo.org

Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa is a Spanish mission. It was founded by Father Junipero Serra in 1772. It is on the central coast of California, halfway between San Diego and Monterey. It was named after Saint Louis, the bishop of Toulouse. It was the fifth of twenty-one missions in California. Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa is noted for its beautiful architectural features, mission life, and historical events.

Design

Mission San Luis Obispo is different from all the other' missions' because it is one of the smallest and has a unique design. The design has both belfry (a bell tower) and a vestibule, which is an entrance hall between the outer door and the interior of a building. These are not found on any of the other California missions. The main nave (the long entrance part of the church) is long and narrow. At San Luis Obispo there is a secondary nave that is the same size and at the right of the altar. This is the only "L"-shaped mission church. Windows around the courtyard have round pillars with square opening, unlike the arches of other missions. San Luis Obispo is painted white and is surrounded by gardens, wine vineyards, and a fountain.

Mission Life

Mission life was hard for the California Indians because they had to work hard and study Catholic Religon.

Women had to cook, sew, garden, and make candles and soap. Men had to farm and care for the animals while the older people had to fish and make arrows. The children attended church every day to study Catholicism. When their studies were done they would work hard helping their families. The Spanish introduced the gun to the Chumash. The Hupa were grateful for the Spaniard guns as they depended on them for hunting bears for food. The Chumash helped these Spaniards build the missions and take care of it and its surrounding Other hostile Indians attacked San Luis Obispo on three separate occasions before 1774. During the attack, the thatched roofs of the mission buildings were set afire by blazing arrows. In May 1807, the mission was designated as one of six in which the California priests could make their annual retreats for spiritual exercises. Following Mexico's war against Spain in 1810, all the California missions were forced to contribute food and clothing to the army. In 1830, the bell tower was destroyed in an earthquake, but was later rebuilt with stone.

Today, the mission serves as a parish church of the diocese of Monterey.

In 1970 the Mission was recognized as the center of the City of San Luis Obispo, with the dedication of Mission Plaza. Mayor Ken Schwartz worked with students from Cal Poly to develop a plan to convince voters to close Monterey Street in front of the mission. Construction of a plaza began in 1969 and the plaza was dedicated in 1970. A statue of Junípero Serra was installed on the grounds facing the public Mission Plaza. The attention to the statues of Junípero Serra expanded during the George Floyd protests to include monuments of individuals associated with the controversy over the genocide of indigenous peoples in the Americas. The statue was moved into storage on the grounds in 2020.

Spanish origin

In 1602, the Spanish began to show interest in California and sent Sebastián Vizcaíno, a pearl fisher, to explore the area. Vizcaino traveled the coast naming many of the cities that are important to the California coast today such as San Diego, Santa Barbara and Monterey. Spain finally chose to create Vizcaino's suggested chain of missions when it was proven that California was indeed part of the continent. The goal of creating the chain was given to the Franciscan Order. While Spain had economic motives for establishing a stronghold in California, the Franciscan order of the Catholic Church also had religious motives. With these factors in mind the missions were created in order to control the coast so that the ships from Spain would remain safe as well as bring the indigenous peoples to the Catholic faith. Re-education became the method for reaching Spain's religious and economic goals as they strived to convert the Native Americans to Catholicism as well as make them loyal Spanish subjects.

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See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Misión San Luis Obispo de Tolosa para niños

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