Mission Dolores

Originally named as Mission San Francisco de Asís, Mission Dolores is a historical spot, located on the 320 Dolores Street of San Francisco, known for withstanding the ravages of time and its antiquity. A creation of the Spanish missionary, Mission Dolores, was established under the Franciscan Order in 1776 with the aim of spreading Christianity amidst the Native Americans community of Costanoans.

At the offset, the amicable relationship between the Natives and the Spanish settlers helped the mission expand, which took the form of a community centre giving shelter and preaching sessions to the Natives along with the people of other professions- traders, sailors, soldiers, farmers and others.

The 1906 earthquake of San Francisco ravaged the adjacent brick church of the Mission but the original chapel sustained the catastrophe. In 1918, the renovation led to the reconstruction of the Church which resulted in the Mission Dolores Basilica, famous for its alluring and distinct Spanish Baroque architectural style. The Mission fosters other attractions such as rose gardens and a sculpture of Father Junipero Serra (one of its founders) and a cemetery which is the resting place of the founders, the Spanish settlers as well as the Natives. The Mission is open for tours and its Basilica Choir performs on Christmas and other festivities.