Mission
San Juan Capistrano is called the "Jewel of the Missions"
Mission San Juan Capistrano is probably the best known of all
the California missions. In 1796 work was begun on a large stone
church that was to be the most magnificent of all the California
mission churches. Under the guidance of an expert stonemason
from Mexico the natives transported the stones from a quarry
six miles away. Nine years later the church was completed. The
Great Stone Church was built in the shape of a cross, 180 feet
long and 40 feet wide. Above the front entrance is a 120 foot
tall bell tower that could be seen for miles. Today the mission
is a major tourist attraction in Southern California with buses
full of tourist and school children arriving each day. Visitors
come to enjoy the beautiful gardens and historic buildings of
the mission complex. In the spring thousands of swallows annually
migrate some 2,000 miles from their winter homes to the San
Juan Caspistano. Each year the Festival of the Swallows is celebrated
with festivities including traditional bell ringing, live entertainment
and a swallow day parade to mark the return of the swallows
to San Juan Capistrano.
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