Mission San Miguel Arcangel

Mission San Miguel Arcangel is located at 775 Mission Street in San Miguel, California. It was built in 1797 by Father Fermin Lasuen. It was the sixteenth founding order in California. There were 21 total missions around the same time. It was also located in the third district and near Salinan Native Tribes. The mission has performed 2,471 baptisms, 764 marriages, and 1,868 burials. It was secularized in 1834. In its early history it was changed from a mission, but eventually in 1859 it returned to a church.

Today the mission is a parish church. However, it was closed to the public due to an earthquake in 2003. It finally reopened in 2009 with repairs. It also has a mural inside by Esteban Munras. Its features are 12 arches with the Mission Arcade. These arches are in a variety of shapes and sizes. The first chapel had to be rebuilt within a year of opening due to a fire, so a larger adobe chapel was constructed until in1806 a fire destroyed it. Much of the current mission was built in 1816 to 1818. It is 144 feet long, 27 feet wide and 40 feet high. There is a cemetery with about 2,249 Native Americans.