Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa

Gaspar de Portola, Governor of Los Californias, and Father Juan Crespi attempted to reach Monterey Bay by land in 1769. Along the way, the party camped in a lovely valley where they were amazed to find so many bears. They gave it the nickname La Canada de los Osos (The Canyon of the Bears). Years later, when food supplies were running low, Father Serra remembered the valley and sent hunters there. The successful hunt and further investigation convinced Serra that the area would make the perfect site for a mission and so work on it began. In 1792, Serra christened the mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa in honor of Saint Louise, Bishop of Toulouse, France. 

    The early years were not always peaceful for the mission. While many of the local Indians were friendly, there were a few were not.  On three occasions, they set fire to the mission’s thatched roof. In answer to this, the padres developed a red, fire-resistant, clay tile, which proved to be a good deterrent. The tiles were such a success that all the missions began using the new formula for roofing material.

    None of Alta California’s missions were ever fully self-sufficient; consequently they received some financial support from Spain, albeit modest. The Mexican War of Independence in 1810 changed all that. Gradually, over time, Spain sent fewer funds, which caused major financial problems for most of the missions. Spain also forced the missions to send food and clothing to the army. The demand was a heavy burden on Mission San Luis Obispo, but it was able to not only meet the demand, but also continue its building program. By 1820, the mission had finished the construction of its quadrangle. And then circumstances worsen.

    By 1835, Mexico had been an independent nation for fourteen years. During that time the Mexican government secularized Mission San Luis Obispo, which meant the padres no longer managed it. Pio Pico, Alta California’s governor, sold the mission's buildings, all except the church for $510. The buildings were then used for a variety of civic and military uses.

    During the Bear Flag Revolt, John C. Fremont and his "California Battalion" occupied the mission and used it as a base of operations. It was later used as the first courthouse and jail in San Luis Obispo County, California. The mission was eventually returned to the Catholic Church.

    In the early days of statehood, the citizens of San Luis Obispo lived in fear of the many bandits that roamed at will throughout the area. In 1853, the notorious bandit Joaquin Murietta, “the Robin Hood of El Dorado,” and his men terrorized the town, literally taking it over and occupying it for several days. They camped in the mission’s garden. Later that same year the newly formed California State Rangers brought about an end to Murietta’s gang.
   

 The mission’s buildings have design features that are unique among the twenty-one missions. There are three bells hanging in three arched openings above the church entrance. The vestibule, sits at a right angle to the main part of the church (nave). It's almost equal in size and shape to the nave. The convento colonnade has square openings and round pillars, a style not used in any other mission.

    Even though Mission San Luis Obispo went through many changes during its history, it remained in its original location, unlike many of the other missions. Today, the mission is in the center of a thriving city that grew up around it and functions as a Roman Catholic parish church in the Diocese of Monterey. San Luis Obispo proudly calls itself, "The City with a Mission."

NOTE: Los Californias = Baja California & Alta California.  The convento is where the friars live.  Friars differ from monks in that friars are called to a life of poverty in service to a community, while monks cloister themselves away from society.  Friar is a corruption of the French word frere meaning brother.

The photographs below show places where a section of a wall has been purposely exposed to show the building materials. On the left is a portion of a wall and on the right is a section of an adobe wall.