Once the spot for the church was selected, its position would be marked and the remainder of the mission complex would be laid out. The majority of mission sanctuaries were oriented on a roughly east–west axis to take the best advantage of the sun's position for interior illumination the exact alignment depended on the geographic features of the particular site. The first priority when beginning a settlement was the location and construction of the church ( iglesia). It was these simple huts that would ultimately give way to the stone and adobe buildings which exist to this day.Ī plan view of the Mission San Juan Capistrano complex (including the footprint of the 'Great Stone Church') prepared by architectural historian Rexford Newcomb in 1916. The padres blessed the site, and with the aid of their military escort fashioned temporary shelters out of tree limbs or driven stakes, roofed with thatch or reeds.

Once empowered to erect a mission in a given area, the men assigned to it chose a specific site that featured a good water supply, plenty of wood for fires and building material, and ample fields for grazing herds and raising crops. This mission is architecturally distinctive because of the strong combination of Spanish, Moorish, and Mexican lines exhibited.Īlthough the missions were considered temporary ventures by the Spanish hierarchy, the development of an individual settlement was not simply a matter of 'priestly whim.' The founding of a mission followed longstanding rules and procedures the paperwork involved required months, sometimes years of correspondence, and demanded the attention of virtually every level of the bureaucracy. Mission San Luis Rey de Francia in Oceanside, California.

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