San Francisco Solano Mission

There are 21 missions in California started by Junipero and his followers. San Francisco Solano Mission in Sonoma, Sonoma County, California is one of these missions. It was started and run by Padre Jose Altimira in 1823. The mission was named after St. Francis Solano. San Francisco Solano Mission was built for the Peruvian Indians. Today it is part of Sonoma State Historic Park. As part of the tour visitors can see Jorgensen Watercolors, which are housed inside the old mission building.

Unlike other missions of California, this one is not an active church right now. Instead it is open for tours in order to teach residents and visitors about the history of Sonoma and Sonoma County. The mission is open for tours daily, except Thursdays. Hours of operation are 10am to 5pm. It does close for major holidays.

When it was open as a mission, the padres performed 1,008 baptisms, 263 marriages, and 500 burials. Tribes housed at the mission included Coast Miwok, Pomo, Patwin, Suisunes, and Wappo. It was actually the 21st mission to be founded in California and part of the fourth Military District. Work has gone into maintaining the building for tourists.