Adventure 49/101, Mission 03 - Mission Soledad

Capture California, the Game-2012

Adventure: 101 - 03 : Mission Nuestra Senora de la Soledad, 13th mission

Team: Thing One, Thing Two

Date: August 12, 2012

Location: Soledad

Description:

On a trip to San Diego, we decided to visit several of the missions. Mission Soledad was the first one. One of the comments made was how far away from everything this mission is. Of course, at the time, all missions were far away. But even in its isolation, there was signs of grace-the ceiling, the paintings—all point the the thoughts of those who created the mission.

There is an active excavation being performed by CSU Monterrey.

From Wikipedia site:

In 1954, when the Mission Soledad restoration was begun, only piles of adobe dirt and a few wall sections from the cuadrángulo (quadrangle) remained. The chapel was reconstructed and dedicated under the auspices of the Native Daughters of the Golden West on October 9, 1955. The ruins of the quadrangle, cemetery, and some of the outer rooms, while not restored, can still be seen. Governor Arrillaga's grave was identified and given a new marker.

From California Missions Resource Center site:

Named For: Our Lady of Solitude
Founding Father President: Fr. Fermin Francisco de Lasuen
Founding Missionaries: Frs. Mariano Rubi and Diego Garcia
Water Source: Salinas River (too low for irrigation) was used for livestock needs. The Arroyo Seco brought seasonal waters. A 15 mile long zanja or aqueduct dug by neophytes (rediscovered by archaeologists from CSU Monterey Bay in 2007) eventually irrigated some 20,000 acres in the Llano del Rey or lands about the mission.
Mission Bells: A copy of the original mission bell, cast in Mexico City in 1794, hangs on a wooden beam to the left of the church entrance. The original is kep inside the church.
Mission Art: Both the exterior and interior of the chapel are quite simple. Colorfully painted reredos, stenciled wall decorations and original oil paintings of the Stations of the Cross adorn the sanctuary. There is also an original painting of Our Lady of Refuge in the sanctuary.
Special Attraction: The grounds, which still contain the ruins of the mission's adobe walls, are a haunting reminder of how difficult life must have been at this remote and desolate mission.

Interesting Facts: 

José Joaquín de Arrillaga, the first Spanish governor of Alta California, died at Soledad in 1814 during a mission tour, and was buried in a Franciscan habit beneath the floor of the church destroyed in 1824.
Soledad became the principal headquarters of the President of the California Missions, Fr. Mariano Payeras, in the wake of Bouchard's raid on Monterey (1819-1822).
Soledad's Fr. Vicente Francisco de Sarría authored a medical treatise titled "Descripción de la Operación Cesaria" (1830), the first original California contribution to the field of medicine.
Mission Soledad deteriorated rapidly after secularization. It served for several years as the Felilano Soberanes ranch house, a grocery store and a restaurant and was then abandoned for almost 100 years






From California State Parks site:

The padres named this mission for Our Lady of Solitude in 1791, which fits the isolated location of Soledad. Settled next to the Salinas River in the pastures and rolling hills 45 miles south of Monterrey, this lonely outpost was cold, damp and frequently whipped by winds. The soil was rich and the water plentiful however, and by 1805 Soledad was producing more than 100,000 bushels of wheat per year, owned nearly 17,000 head of livestock, and had become well-known for its hospitality. The chapel and one wing of the quadrangle have been completely restored and the church still has the original title floor. A small museum is housed is the quadrangle.
 36641 Ft. Romie Rd., Soledad, 93960, (831) 678-2586