Mission San Luis Rey: The front exterior of Mission San Luis Rey in Oceanside, Calif. is beautiful upon arriving. The white exterior is impressive with the aqua domes on the roof with a portal that leads away from the entrance doors to the left in the photo. The wall to the right encircles the original cemetery, which has been on site since the mission was founded in 1798. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Mission Exterior: A view of the exterior of San Luis Rey shows the front of the mission from another angle. The long portal leads one into the entrance of the mission. Also seen is a small sampling of the beautiful grounds around the mission. The mission sits on 56 acres in Oceanside, Calif. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Mission Interior: The magnificent interior of Mission San Luis Rey is seen from the center of the space which reveal the many details of the mission interior. The mission is open to visit by anyone who wishes to see the mission. In addition to Sunday Mass, a Mass is held at noon Monday through Friday. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
By GARY WARREN
Photographer
Formerly of Los Alamos
As we toured the Southern California coastline recently we visited Mission San Luis Rey in Oceanside. The Spanish mission is one of 21 California Missions.
San Luis Rey Mission was founded in 1798 by Father Fermin Lasuen. The mission became known as the “King of the Missions” as it was the largest of the California Missions.
The mission has evolved through three buildings. Construction of the current mission began in 1811. Because of the large size and scale of the complex the construction did not conclude until 1815.
Mission San Luis Rey is a thriving Franciscan Mission and National Historic Landmark, visit sanluisrey.org to learn more. Mass is held every Sunday and at noon on weekdays (Monday through Friday). The facility is open to anyone who wishes to visit during the week. The facility includes a visitor center, a retreat center, beautiful gardens and grounds, and the original cemetery dating back to the mission’s early days.
Mission San Luis Rey is considered a religious and a heritage site today because of its prominence in the Oceanside community. This mission is the most impressive of the California Missions that we have visited.
Editor’s note: Longtime Los Alamos photographer Gary Warren and his wife Marilyn are traveling around the country, and he shares his photographs, which appear in the “Posts from the Road” series published in the Sunday edition of the Los Alamos Daily Post.
Mission Interior View: A different view of the interior reveals additional details of the interior of Mission San Luis Rey. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Portal: Several visitors relax on benches along the long portal, which leads to the mission entrance. Views of the grounds are abundant as one gazes from this viewpoint. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Exterior Detail: A close up of the Mission San Luis Rey reveals some of the exterior detail as well as one of the domes on the mission and the crosses on the top of the mission. Also seen is the trunk of a palm tree within the mission cemetery. There are many palms throughout the grounds of the mission. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com