Mission San Luis Rey

One day this week, we took a drive to Oceanside to check out Mission San Luis Rey. It is called the "King of all Missions" because it was and is the biggest of the 21 missions in California. This church was built 200 years ago and much of it still remains as it was originally built; in the shape of a cross.

When you walk down the aisle towards the altar, there are Stations of the Cross from the 18th century on the walls. The ceiling is all original beams.

But the truly amazing part was the side altar on the left. This is a 62 inch sculpture from the 19th century. It depicts the suffering Christ just before his crucifixion.

This wood statue has porcelain teeth and movable joints and real hair.

When I was taking this closeup I was using the "portrait" setting on my camera. After I had snapped the first picture a message popped up saying "Blink Detected"... now that was downright spooky!

This is the front altar; all statues are from the mid 18th century. Over the altar is a wooden dome with a cupola that has 144 panes of glass which provides beautiful lighting.
This is the Madonna Chapel which originally was a mortuary chapel. Again, there is a dome overhead. There is a door to the right that leads directly to the cemetery.

This is the Baptismal area in the rear of the church.

When you leave the church, you walk through this arched pathway

to the rear of the church where the gardens are located. This archway is from the original mission built in the 1700's.

The gardens are filled with flowers and greenery. The lady in the gift shop said to see the real beauty we needed to come back when the roses were in bloom; I can just imagine what that must be like.
In the background of this picture, you see the oldest olive tree in the state of California dating from the early 1700's.

This is the original well house. The workmanship on these Mission buildings is amazing. I wonder what we build today will still be here in 2211.
This bronze statue is located in the gardens. Like the Stations of The Cross we saw in Colorado, this artist's detail is to be admired.

In the front of the Mission, we saw a sculpture depicting Jesus meeting his mother. What I loved most were the hands reaching out to one another.

This is the entrance to the cemetery.

This cross adorns the doorway.

And once again, it is the bronze sculptures that draw my attention.
Mary's welcoming stance and her gentle features give the area a real sense of calm and peace.

Add this to your list of places to see when you visit the San Diego area.