Mission San Juan Bautista

Mission San Juan Bautista, founded in 1797, was the first of several missions my friends and I visited on a "mission trip" up the California coast in March. It is the largest of the twenty-one missions in California.

The first thing that struck me upon walking inside was the multitude and intensity of the colors, and second, how nicely the colors all blended together.

The main altar at the front of the church holds statues of six saints, with patron saint San Juan Bautista (John the Baptist) in the center.

The colors, arches, and columns combined to make beautiful patterns.

I always love the glow of the candles in the dim light.

We spent a lot of time wandering through the mission museum, with its exhibits and re-created rooms. Imagine copying books and books of music by hand! The lines were incredibly straight.

The mission museum displays included music books, maps, tools, and vestments.

Outside was a small graveyard, with a view of the backside of the bell tower.

The mission and parts of the bell tower were used in the 1958 Hitchcock film Vertigo.