When I relocated to California, I began slowly ticking California missions off my travel checklist. There are 21 missions in California, all built between 1769 and 1833, with the last mission, being a mere half mile from my house, in Sonoma.

From genocide and smallpox, to helping to influence California statehood and metropolitan development, missions are controversial and bittersweet historically.

I was recently in San Francisco to see a concert and visited Mission Dolores, also known as Mission San Francisco de Asis - my 5th mission. It's the oldest building in San Francisco and has one of the few existing cemeteries - and the oldest - in the city.

A visit to California is not complete without a visit to at least one mission. If you are in San Francisco, that mission is Mission Dolores.

Join me on a self-guided tour to stops #1 and #2... we'll visit #3 & #4 in my next blog post!

The Basics

Mission Dolores is located in San Francisco. It's located three blocks east of Market St., where there is a BART (train) station. Parking is plentiful. It's also three blocks from the iconic Bar Tartine - visit the Mission prior to dinner service, which starts at 5:30.

The mission, and the accompanying Basilica, are functioning churches, operated by the Archdiocese of San Francisco. A self-guided tour is offered (you can schedule a guided tour ahead of time if you wish), with donation proceeds benefiting the preservation of the facilities.

Self-guided tour at Mission Dolores

The Mission has a vast history. If you'd like to learn more, a great guide to the history of the Mission is available from FoundSF. That guide includes details about the founding, the treatment of the Native populations, and the political implications of the Mission's existence on the city and state.

Stop #1: Mission San Francisco de Asis

The first stop on the self-guided tour is to the original adobe Mission.

This is the second incarnation of Mission San Francisco de Asis. It was built in 1791. The original, a small building made of wood and thatch, was originally located 1 1/2 blocks away from the current Mission.

The current Mission was founded by Spanish priest, Junipero Serra, and named after Saint Francis of Assisi. The city's name, San Francisco, can be credited back to the founding of the Mission.

Approximately 26,000 adobe bricks serve as the walls of the Mission. Those adobe walls have survived many earthquakes, including the devastating 1906 and the 1989 Loma Priesta earthquakes. Pretty remarkable.

The roof is made of redwood logs and rawhide. The ceiling, a colorful mix of burgundy, sage, cream and goldenrod yellow, is painted in an Ohlone Indian design with vegetable dye.

The altar at the original Mission - it is still used for worship.

Still an operating church, the Mission's altar is from Mexico and dates back to 1796. During the first two months of the Mission's operations, over 28,000 baptisms took place.

The grave of the Noe family buried inside the Mission

There are four burials inside the Mission:

• William Leidesdorff, businessman and one of the first settlers in California of mixed race heritage (Afro-Cuban, Indian, Jewish!);
• Jose Joaquin Moraga, who is credited with founding San Jose, California;
• Reverend Richard Carroll, former pastor at the Mission; and
• The Noe family (photo), including Jose de Jesus Noe, the last Spanish mayor of San Francisco and of whom the Noe Valley neighborhood of San Francisco is named after.

While visiting the chapel, be sure to check out the side altars. Catholics may be excited to see a chair where Pope John Paul II sat when he visited in 1987.

You'll exit the Mission and walk past a diorama, which was on display at the 1939 World's Fair.

Stop #2: Mission Dolores Basilica

This is the second incarnation of a church that was destroyed in the 1906 earthquake (again, while the Mission next door remarkably survived!). It was completed in 1918 and was designated a Basilica in 1952 by Pope Pius XII. A Basilica is designated by a Pope, as being one of the most significant Catholic churches due to their history, architecture, antiquity and art collection.

The stained glass windows in the Basilica are amazing. Made in Munich by Franz Mayer & Co., there are 21 windows depicting all of the missions in California and there other pieces showing angels (left photo) and Saint Francis of Assisi.

The photo on the right represents Mission San Francisco Solano, the mission near my house here in Sonoma!

The red glass is extremely rare - Franz Meyer & Co. was bombed in 1944, during World War II, and the "recipes" (for lack of a better word) documenting the red glass making process were destroyed.

Altars are located throughout the Basilica, including one commemorating current Pope Francis and memorializing Pope John Paul II. John Paul II visited the church in 1987. He was the first Pope to visit San Francisco. During his visit to the Basilica he met with people living with AIDS/HIV, including famously embracing a child born with AIDS.

St. Martin de Porres

There is also an altar devoted to St. Martin de Porres, a Peruvian saint and the patron saint of black people, mixed-race people, race relations, innkeepers, barbers, public health workers, lottery winners, television and more. He could also talk to animals, hence the dog and cat.

You'll pass St. Martin de Porres as you exit the Basilica and head past an exhibit displaying historic photographs, en route to the museum.

What's next? Stop #3 & 4

We have a lot more to see at Mission Dolores. Join me in my next sojourn for stop #3, where we'll visit the on-site museum, and stop #4, the oldest cemetery in San Francisco.

To be continued....

Have you ever been to a California mission?

All photographs by Sarah, under a CC BY 3.0 license

[//]:# (!steemitworldmap 37.764279 lat -122.426668 long A self-guided tour of Mission Dolores d3scr)