California - Central Coast Area Attractions

Mission San Miguel Arcangel History

This mission, situated in the extreme northeast of San Luis Obispo County, over 37mi/60km north of the town of the same name, has - in contrast to most of the others - a church (the third one, and completed in 1821) which has withstood the rigors of time better, so that in 1901 and 1928 it had to be merely renovated, not rebuilt. As a result of secularization the mission lost its estates, which extended as far as the Pacific Ocean 30mi/50km away, and during the 1850 gold-rush it was a favorite place for fortune-seekers to stay.

Items of interest

The church, however, was not adversely affected; it remains intact and is one of the best-preserved examples of mission architecture. The interior is richly painted; Indians worked under the artist Estevan Munras from Monterey and succeeded in producing some interesting "trompe l'oeil effects" (French for "deceiving the eye"). Above a statue of its founder is an all-seeing Eye of God, supposed to exert a hypnotic effect upon believers. In the nearby museum you can see interesting items from the mission period.

Mission San Miguel was hard hit by an earthquake on December 22nd, 2003. It underwent restoration and reopened on December 22nd, 2006.