Soledad Mission

Mission Nuestra Senora de la Soledad was considered a hardship post by the Franciscans.   Many of them asked to be reassigned to a more temperate, hospitable mission.  This was the 13th of the California missions, founded by Father Francisco de Lasuen in 1791.  It took six years for the church to be built because of constant flooding from the Salinas River.  I can understand why the good padres complained of rheumatism and poor health.  On the day we visited this "wilderness outpost" it was chilly and the wind was biting.  Even today, the mission is surrounded by farms giving the traveler a good sense of the isolation they must have felt.

The Soledad Mission had one of the smallest populations.  Although the goal of the fathers was to convert the Esselen natives, they were required to live on site after they were baptized.   For this hunter-gatherer tribe, this was a major lifestyle change.  Although they learned to grow barley, wheat and corn, the agricultural output was low.  This mission eventually excelled in livestock because of the grasslands surrounding it.  It reached its peak in 1831 with 6,500 head of cattle, 6,500 sheep and 1,000 horses.  Three years later, like most of the missions, it was secularized and abandoned.

The chapel attached to the side of the mission is small and simply decorated.  Although this is not an active parish, the chapel does hold services throughout the year and is a popular place for weddings.  The 14 Stations of the Cross are worth studying.  These are old paintings dating back to the mission period, which were returned when it was restored in 1955.

There is also a small museum on site with an interesting period of  the mission's history--that of the Spanish ranchers and the "hide and tallow" trade.  In 1841, the Soledad Mission was sold for $800 to Feliciano Soberanes and used as a ranch house.  The natives returned to become laborers on this ranch, and it became an important part of the west coast trading industry.  In 1859, however, it was returned to the Catholic Church and finally deserted.

The original adobe ruins are behind the restored mission.  There are signs pointing out the various locations of the workshops, but you have to use your imagine to picture them.   It's a lovely mission steeped in sadness and hardship ,but serene and beautiful nevertheless.

Feliciano Soberanes