Mission San Diego de Alcala: San Diego, California
San Diego de Alcala was the first Christian church in California, established in 1769.
Junipero Serra was apppointed Father Superior of the Franciscan friars sent from Spain to establish and oversee a chain of Indian missions in Baja California. At the time of his death in 1784, Friar Serra claimed to have converted more than 5,000 native people to Christianity since his establishment of the Mission San Diego de Alcala.
Today the church is still used as a local parish and a minor basilica of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego, as declared by Pope Paul VI in 1976.
I took this photograph in March 2007.
Great photograph, I like the angle you chose. I love visiting the California Missions. I’ve seen each at least once, but I always like to come back.
Thank you very much! This may be the only California mission I’ve seen so far, but it was so interesting to visit that I hope to see the others one day, too.