First Franciscan mission in The Californias is the fifth to stand on this location. The mission site is a National Historic Landmark

General Information

Location:

1 Mission Creek Rd
Jolon, CA 93928

Name as Founded:

La Misión de San Antonio de Padua

English Translation:

The Mission of Saint Anthony of Padua

Patron:

Saint Anthony of Padua

Nickname(s):

"Mission of the Sierras"

Founding Date:

July 14, 1771

Current Use:

Parish Church

Website:

http://www.missionsanantonio.net

Hours:

Operating under COVID safety guidelines from Monterey County, the Mission is beginning to open with minimal hours.
Currently scheduled: July 3, 2021 Open Noon to 3:30pm
July 4, 2021 Open Noon to 3:30pm
July 10th Open Noon- 3:30pm
July 11th CLOSED, except for 10:30am Mass
July 17- Open Noon-3:30pm
July 18- Open Noon-3:30pm
July 24-Open Noon-3:30pm
July 25-Open Noon-3:30pm
July 31-Open Noon-3:30pm
August 1-Open Noon-3:30pm

Fees:

No fees

Pet Policy:

No pets allowed

Closest cities with hotels:

King City, 24 miles

Seasons:

All year

Rating:

★ 5.0

Jolon, CA Weather Forecast

How to Get There

From San Francisco (175 miles): Get on US-101 S/Central Fwy. Follow US-101 S to Jolon Rd in Monterey County. Take exit 283 from US-101 S. Continue on Jolon Rd.

Overview

Mission San Antonio de Padua is a Spanish mission established by the Franciscan order in present-day Monterey County, California, near the present-day town of Jolon. It was founded on July 14, 1771, and was the third mission founded in Alta California by Father Presidente Junípero Serra. The mission was the first use of fired tile roofing in Upper California. Today the mission is a parish church of the Diocese of Monterey and is no longer active in the mission work which it was set up to provide.

Current use of the old San Antonio Mission

Despite its being still referred to as a mission, the Mission San Antonio de Padua is no longer active in Catholic missions and has become more focused as a parish church, fundraiser location, and tourist attraction. In 2005, the Franciscan Friars turned over the mission's caretaking and ownership to the Diocese of Monterey. Under the leadership of the Diocese of Monterey, Mission San Antonio de Padua transformed into a Catholic parish which also hosts group gatherings, gift shops and a museum with picnic grounds.

Present day

Today, the nearest city is King City, nearly 29 miles (47 km) away; Jolon, a small town, is located 6 miles (10 km) from the Mission. Historians consider the Mission's pastoral location in the valley of the San Antonio River along the Santa Lucia Mountains as an outstanding example of early mission life.

The mission is surrounded by the Fort Hunter Liggett Military Reservation, which was acquired by the U.S. Army from the Hearst family during World War II to train troops. Additional land was acquired from the Army in 1950 to increase the mission area to over 85 acres (340,000 m²). This fort is still actively training troops today.

Mission San Antonio de Padua is one of the designated tour sights of the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail.

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Mission San Antonio de Padua", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0