California Historical Society Collection, 1860-1960

Title Insurance and Trust and C.C. Pierce Photography Collection 1860-1960

Drawing of Mission San Luis Rey taken from Alfred Robinson's book, "Life in California", California, ca.1839

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Drawing of Mission San Luis Rey taken from Alfred Robinson's book, "Life in California", California, ca.1839

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Photograph of a drawing of Mission San Luis Rey taken from Alfred Robinson's book, "Life in California", page 24, California, ca.1839. The mission consists of the main church, a tower (at right), an arcade (at left) and smaller adjoined buildings. The façade of the church feature multicurved parapets. The tower has several decks and a dome roof. Adjacent to the church is an area (courtyard?) enclosed by a short wall. A striped flag stands in the center of the mission grounds in front of the arcade.; Mission San Luis Rey de Francia was the eighteenth mission, founded on June 13, 1798 by Father Fermin Lasuen. It was named for Louis IX, King of France (1215-1270). Nicknamed "King of the missions", Mission San Luis Rey was the largest and most populous of all the California missions. Its buildings covered 6 acres of land, and its Native American population reached 2,700 at its peak. Its important location filled the critical gap between San Diego and San Juan Capistrano. It was the ninth and last mission founded by Father-President Lasuen before his death in 1803. The quick success of this mission is owed to Father Antonio Peyri, who staved with the mission for 34 years. Not wanting to see the destruction he believed secularization would bring, he retired two years earlier and returned to Spain. Within 2 years most of the buildings were up and covered with tile roofs and work had begun on the big church that would be able to accommodate up to a thousand worshipers. Eventually even this was replaced with an even larger church with a single tower used as a lookout. With two people always stationed there, they were able to quickly announce the arrival of visitors, friendly or otherwise, and with flags were able to signal messages to the workers in the fields. Within the quadrangle was planted the first pepper tree in California, and in a sunken garden in front of the mission were many exotic plants and fruit trees." -- unknown author, January 2002 (part 1 of 2).; "The mission's open-air laundry was also located in the sunken garden where water flowed from the mouth of a stone gargoyle. The water then flowed down the tiles to be reclaimed for other uses. The mission's extensive water irrigation even had a charcoal filter purification system for drinking water. Mission San Luis Rey also had the largest herd of livestock of any of the missions. In addition to the greater than 50,000 cattle and sheep, they had 1,300 goats, 300 pigs, and almost 2,000 horses. After the loss of the revered Father Peyri the mission's decline began. The Native Americans attempted to maintain the mission for several years after secularization, but eventually, in 1846, all the buildings were sold. For a time the site was occupied by the United States Army. Though the mission was returned to the Church in 1865, it was mostly ignored until 1893, when it was rededicated. By then most of the quadrangle walls had collapsed, and much of the church was destroyed. Major reconstruction was begun immediately, and continues today." -- unknown author, January 2002 (part 2 of 2).

Asset Metadata

Title Drawing of Mission San Luis Rey taken from Alfred Robinson's book, "Life in California", California, ca.1839

Subject Missions -- Mission San Luis Rey de Francia (file heading), Missions, Spanish (lcsh), religious facilities (adlf), San Luis Rey de Francia Mission (subject)

Tags OAI-PMH Harvest

Place California (states), San Diego (counties), USA (countries)

Temporal Subject 1839

Type images

Format 2 photographs : glass photonegative, photoprint, b&w ; 21 x 26 cm. (aacr2), art (aat), glass plate negatives (format), photographic prints (aat), photographs (aat)

Source California Historical Society (contributing entity), California Historical Society Collection, 1860-1960 (collection), Title Insurance and Trust, and C.C. Pierce Photography Collection, 1860-1960 (subcollection)

Date Created 1839

Creator Pierce, C.C. (Charles C.), 1861-1946 (photographer)

Publisher University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Repository Email specol@lib.usc.edu

Repository Name USC Libraries Special Collections

Repository Location Doheny Memorial Library, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0189

Rights Public Domain. Please credit both “University of Southern California. Libraries” and “California Historical Society” as the source. Digitally reproduced by the USC Digital Library.

Copyright Public Domain. Please credit both “University of Southern California. Libraries” and “California Historical Society” as the source. Digitally reproduced by the USC Digital Library.

Access Conditions Send requests to address or e-mail given

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/chs-m17487

Identifier 5761 (accession number), CHS-5761 (call number), CHS-5761 (filename), chs-m265 (legacy collection record id), chs-c65-17480 (legacy record id), chs-m17487 (legacy record id), USC-1-1-1-14091 (legacy record id), 1-140-54 (microfiche number), USC (project)

IIIF ID [Document.IIIFV3ID]

DM Record ID 17480

Unique identifier UC142860

Legacy Identifier CHS-5761.tiff

Type Image

Internet Media Type image/tiff

Resolution 17.0 in × 13.2 in at 300dpi
43.1 cm × 33.5 cm at 300dpi

Inherited Values

Title Title Insurance and Trust and C.C. Pierce Photography Collection 1860-1960

Date Created 1860/1960

Linked assets

Title Insurance and Trust and C.C. Pierce Photography Collection 1860-1960

Conceptually similar

Drawing of Mission San Luis Rey de Francia by Henry Chapman Ford, ca.1883

Exterior view of Mission San Luis Rey from the rear, showing the cemetery and mortuary chapel, San Diego, California, ca.1887

Exterior view of Mission San Luis Rey, San Diego, California, 1885

Arches of the corridors at the southwest corner of Mission San Luis Rey, San Diego, 1885

Two Neophytes at work on the rebuilding of Mission San Luis Rey de Francia, California, 1904

Engraved circular pillars in mortuary chapel at Mission San Luis Rey de Francia, ca.1905

Neophyte at work on reconstruction of Mission San Luis Rey de Francia, California, 1904

Exterior view of the Mission San Luis Rey taken from the cemetrary, San Diego, ca.1900

View of the stairs to the choir loft at Mission San Luis Rey, San Diego, California, 1885

Distant view of Mission San Luis Rey, showing the mission and its surroundings, San Diego, California, ca.1905

Father Antonio Peyri of Mission San Luis Rey de Francia, ca.1900

Mission bell of the Mission San Luis Rey de Francia, ca.1808

Drawing of Mission San Buenaventura taken from Alfred Robinson's book, "Life in California", California, ca.1839

Painting of an exterior view of Mission San Luis Rey from 1840(?), [s.d.]

View of the quadrangle of Mission San Luis Rey de Francia as seen from the arcade, Orange County, ca.1900

Portrait of a group of monks at Mission San Luis Rey, 1902

Stone grill work over arch and the south front of the church of Mission San Luis Rey de Francia, ca.1900

Old baptismal font at Mission San Luis Rey de Francia, ca.1904

Portrait of Father O'Keefe of the Misssion San Luis Rey de Francia, San Diego, ca.1900

Two Neophytes and a boy at work on the rebuilding of Mission San Luis Rey de Francia, California, 1904

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