Founding date December 14, 1817 | Phone +1 415-454-8141 | |
 | ||
Location 1104 5th Avenue
San Rafael, California 94901-2916 Name as founded La Misión del Gloriosísimo Príncipe San Rafael, Arcángel English translation The Mission of the Glorious Prince, Archangel Saint Raphael Patron The Glorious Prince Saint Raphael, Archangel Nickname(s) "Mission of Bodily Healing" Address 1104 5th Ave, San Rafael, CA 94901, USA Similar Mission San Francisco, Mission San Miguel Arcángel, Mission San Antonio d, Mission Santa Clara de, Mission Nuestra Señora d Profiles | ||
Aerial views of saint rafael church mission san rafael arc ngel
Mission San Rafael Arcángel was founded in 1817 as a medical asistencia ("sub-mission") of Mission San Francisco de Asís. It was a hospital to treat sick Native Americans, making it Alta California's first sanitarium. The weather was much better than in San Francisco, which helped the ill get better. It was not intended to be a stand-alone mission, but nevertheless grew and prospered and was granted full mission status on October 19, 1822.
Contents
History
Mission San Rafael Arcángel was founded in the present day location of San Rafael, California, on December 14, 1817, by Father Vicente Francisco de Sarría, as a medical asistencia ("sub-mission") of the San Francisco Mission to treat their sick population. It was granted full mission status in 1822.
This was one of the second missions turned over to the Mexican government in 1833 after the Mexican secularization act of 1833. In 1840, there were 150 Indians still at the Mission. By 1844, Mission San Rafael Arcángel had been abandoned; what was left of the empty buildings was sold for $8,000 in 1846. The Mission was used by John C. Fremont as his headquarters during the battles to make California a United States possession (see Bear Flag Revolt).
On June 28th, 1846, three men departed the mission, including Kit Carson, and murdered three unarmed Californians under the order of John C. Fremont; Don José R. Berreyesa, father of José de los Santos Berreyesa, along with the twin sons of Don Francisco de Haro, Ramon and Francisco De Haro.
In 1847, a priest was once again living at the Mission. A new parish church was built near the old chapel ruins in 1861, and, in 1870, the rest of the ruins were removed to make room for the City of San Rafael. All that was left of the Mission was a single pear tree from the old Mission's orchard. It is for this reason that San Rafael is known as the "most obliterated of California's missions."
In 1949, a replica of the chapel was built next to the current Saint Raphael's Church on the site of the original hospital in San Rafael, California.