California Missions – San Rafael Arcángel
Founded: December 14, 1817 – Twentieth of the California Missions
Special Designation: Mission of Bodily Healing.
Named For: Saint Rafael, patron of good health and travelers.
Mission Site: 15 miles north of San Francisco at the native site of ‘Anaguani. Since San Rafael was intended to be a “hospital” asistencia, a key consideration was that the location be in a sunnier and more protected environment than San Francisco, which was foggy, damp and windy. The original mission buildings were razed in 1870. In 1919 the new St. Raphael Parish Church, with an imposing tower, was built on the site of the original chapel.
Layout: No effort was made to build a full complex. The initial building was a structure that measured 87 feet in length and 42 feet in width. It contained a hospital, chapel, padre’s quarters and a storage area.
Mission Church: In 1949 a replica of the original mission chapel was constructed on mission property to the right of the main church built in 1919. The replica has a Mudejar or star window said to have been copied from that at the Carmel Mission.
Current Status: The mission Chapel is used for special events and is part of the parish of St. Rafael of the Roman Catholic Archiocese of San Francisco.
After the mission ruins were removed in 1870, all that remained of the old mission site was a solitary pear tree. In 1909 the Native Sons of the Golden West erected a bell and sign on the original site.
