Mission San Francisco Solano
Sonoma, Sonoma County, California
Marker Inscription
Mission San Francisco Solano On July 4, 1823, Padre José Altimira founded this northernmost of California's Franciscan missions, the only one established under independent Mexico. In 1834 secularization orders were carried out by military commandant Mariano G. Vallejo. San Francisco Solano became a parish church serving the pueblo and Sonoma Valley until sold in 1881. This plaque replaces one originally dedicated by the Historic Landmark Committee, Native Sons of the Golden West, 1926. California Registered Historical Landmark No. 3
Erected by California State Park Commission
The Story
Founded in 1823 by Padre José Altimira, Mission San Francisco Solano was the northernmost of California's Franciscan missions and the only one established under newly independent Mexico. When Mexico secularized the missions, commandant Mariano Vallejo carried out the order here in 1834, and the site became the parish church of Sonoma. It served the pueblo until it was sold in 1881.
Why it matters
As the last of the California missions, it marks the northern limit of the Spanish-Mexican mission system that shaped the West and its Native communities.
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Related people
- · José Altimira
- · Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo
Related events
- · Secularization of the California missions
Themes & tags
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