Mission San Antonio de Padua was founded in 1771 on 14 July and it is currently an active church, so not only can you go and visit this Mission to witness the history but you can also worship there.
The current site in actually three miles from the original building but the sentiments of the original have all travelled to the new site. Fortunately the building was not damaged in the earthquake.
This Mission is not easy to find and is certainly the most off the beaten track of all the 21 missions; it sits in the middle of the Hunter Liggett Military Reservation. You will not be going anywhere else on the way to view or worship at this mission, it is down miles and miles of twisting country roads. The Mission is in fact in the middle of an active military training base so you can expect gates and check points on the way to the building. You will need to show you driver's license and vehicle registration to get to the Fort.
In 1845 all the Missions were offered for sale but no bids were placed for the San Antonio de Padua so it was given to the Catholic Church in 1894. The building was salvaged for, amongst other things, the Southern Pacific Railroad. The Mission began reconstruction in 1903 but was seriously damaged in the 1906 earthquake; it was not fully restored until the 1940s.
The US Army acquired the Fort Hunter Liggett estate to train troops during World War II from the Hearst family and that is where the mission sits today.
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