SAN LUIS, REY DE FRANCIA
The last Mission of the century, the last of Lasuen's administration,
and the last south of Santa Barbara, was that of San Luis Rey. Lasuen
himself explored the region and determined the site. The governor agreed
to it, and on February 27, 1798, ordered a guard to be furnished from
San Diego who should obey Lasuen implicitly and help erect the necessary
buildings for the new Mission. The founding took place on June 13, in
the presence of Captain Grajera and his guard, a few San Juan neophytes,
and many gentiles, Presidente Lasuen performing the ceremonies, aided by
Padres Peyri and Santiago. Fifty-four children were baptized at the same
time, and from the very start the Mission was prosperous. No other
missionary has left such a record as Padre Peyri. He was zealous,
sensible, and energetic. He knew what he wanted and how to secure it.
The Indians worked willingly for him, and by the 1st of July six
thousand adobes were made for the church. By the end of 1800 there were
237 neophytes, 617 larger stock, and 1600 sheep.
The new church was completed in 1801-1802, but Peyri was too energetic
to stop at this. Buildings of all kinds were erected, and neophytes
gathered in so that by 1810 its population was 1519, with the smallest
death rate of any Mission. In 1811 Peyri petitioned the governor to
allow him to build a new and better church of adobes and bricks; but as
consent was not forthcoming, he went out to Pala, and in 1816
established a branch establishment, built a church, and the picturesque
campanile now known all over the world, and soon had a thousand converts
tilling the soil and attending the services of the church.
In 1826 San Luis Rey reached its maximum in population with 2869
neophytes. From now on began its decline, though in material prosperity
it was far ahead of any other Mission. In 1828 it had 28,900 sheep, and
the cattle were also rapidly increasing. The average crop of grain was
12,660 bushels.
San Luis Rey was one of the Missions where a large number of cattle were
slaughtered on account of the secularization decree. It is said that
some 20,000 head were killed at the San Jacinto Rancho alone. The
Indians were much stirred up over the granting of the ranches, which
they claimed were their own lands. Indeed they formed a plot to capture
the governor on one of his southern trips in order to protest to him
against the granting of the Temécula Rancho.
[Illustration: HOUSE OF MEXICAN, MADE FROM RUINED WALL AND HILLS OF
MISSION SAN FERNANDO REY.]
[Illustration: THE RUINED ALTAR, MORTUARY CHAPEL, SAN LUIS REY.]
[Illustration: ILLUMINATED CHOIR MISSALS, ETC., AT MISSION SAN LUIS
REY.]
The final secularization took place in November, 1834, with Captain
Portilla as comisionado and Pio Pico as majordomo and administrator
until 1840. There was trouble in apportioning the lands among the
Indians, for Portilla called for fifteen or twenty men to aid him in
quelling disturbances; and at Pala the majordomo was knocked down and
left for dead by an Indian. The inventory showed property (including the
church, valued at $30,000) worth $203,707, with debts of $93,000. The
six ranches were included as worth $40,437, the three most valuable
being Pala, Santa Margarita, and San Jacinto.
Micheltorena's decree of 1843 restored San Luis Rey to priestly control,
but by that time its spoliation was nearly complete. Padre Zalvidea was
in his dotage, and the four hundred Indians had scarcely anything left
to them. Two years later the majordomo, appointed by Zalvidea to act for
him, turned over the property to his successor, and the inventory shows
the frightful wreckage. Of all the vast herds and flocks, only 279
horses, 20 mules, 61 asses, 196 cattle, 27 yoke oxen, 700 sheep, and a
few valueless implements remained. All the ranches had passed into
private ownership.
May 18, 1846, all that remained of the former king of Missions was sold
by Pio Pico to Cot and José Pico for $2437. Frémont dispossessed their
agent and they failed to gain repossession, the courts deciding that
Pico had no right to sell. In 1847 the celebrated Mormon battalion,
which Parkman so vividly describes in his _Oregon Trail_, were
stationed at San Luis Rey for two months, and later on, a re-enlisted
company was sent to take charge of it for a short time. On their
departure Captain Hunter, as sub-Indian agent, took charge and found a
large number of Indians, amenable to discipline and good workers.
The general statistics from the founding in 1798 to 1834 show 5591
baptisms, 1425 marriages, 2859 deaths. In 1832 there were 27,500 cattle,
2226 horses in 1828, 345 mules in the same year, 28,913 sheep in 1828,
and 1300 goats in 1832.
In 1892 Father J.J. O'Keefe, who had done excellent work at Santa
Barbara, was sent to San Luis Rey to repair the church and make it
suitable for a missionary college of the Franciscan Order. May 12, 1893,
the rededication ceremonies of the restored building took place, the
bishop of the diocese, the vicar-general of the Franciscan Order and
other dignitaries being present and aiding in the solemnities. Three old
Indian women were also there who heard the mass said at the original
dedication of the church in 1802. Since that time Father O'Keefe has
raised and expended thousands of dollars in repairing, always keeping in
mind the original plans. He also rebuilt the monastery.
San Luis Rey is now a college for the training of missionaries for the
field, and its work is in charge of Father Peter Wallischeck, who was
for so many years identified with the College of the Franciscans at
Santa Barbara.
Immediately on entering the church one observes doorways to the right
and left--the one on the right bricked up. It is the door that used to
lead to the stairway of the bell-tower. In 1913 the doorway was opened.
The whole tower was found to be filled with adobe earth, why, no one
really knows, though it is supposed it may have been to preserve the
structure from falling in case of an earthquake.
A semicircular arch spans the whole church from side to side, about
thirty feet, on which the original decorations still remain. These are
in rude imitation of marble, as at Santa Barbara, in black and red, with
bluish green lines. The wall colorings below are in imitation of
black marble.
The choir gallery is over the main entrance, and there a great revolving
music-stand is still in use, with several of the large and interesting
illuminated manuscript singing-books of the early days. In Mission days
it was generally the custom to have two chanters, who took care of the
singing and the books. These, with all the other singers, stood around
the revolving music-stand, on which the large manuscript chorals
were placed.
The old Byzantine pulpit still occupies its original position at San
Luis Rey, but the sounding-board is gone--no one knows whither. This is
of a type commonly found in Continental churches, the corbel with its
conical sides harmonizing with the ten panels and base-mouldings of the
box proper. It is fastened to the pilaster which supports the
arch above.
The original paint--a little of it--still remains. It appears to have
been white on the panels, lined in red and blue.
The pulpit was entered from the side altar, through a doorway pierced
through the wall. The steps leading up to it are of red burnt brick.
Evidently it was a home product, and was possibly made by one of Padre
Peyri's Indian carpenters, who was rapidly nearing graduation into the
ranks of the skilled cabinet-makers.
The Mortuary Chapel is perhaps as fine a piece of work as any in the
whole Mission chain. It is beautiful even now in its sad dilapidation.
It was crowned with a domed roof of heavy cement. The entrance was by
the door in the church to the right of the main entrance. The room is
octagonal, with the altar in a recess, over which is a dome of brick,
with a small lantern. At each point of the octagon there is an engaged
column, built of circular-fronted brick which run to a point at the rear
and are thus built into the wall. A three-membered cornice crowns each
column, which supports arches that reach from one column to another.
There are two windows, one to the southeast, the other northwest. The
altar is at the northeast. There are two doorways, with stairways which
lead to a small outlook over the altar and the whole interior. These
were for the watchers of the dead, so that at a glance they might see
that nothing was disturbed.
[Illustration: BELFRY WINDOW, MISSION SAN FERNANDO REY.]
[Illustration: GRAVEYARD, RUINS OF MORTUARY CHAPEL AND TOWER, MISSION
SAN LUIS REY.]
[Illustration: SIDE OF MISSION SAN LUIS REY.]
[Illustration: THE CAMPANILE AT PALA.]
The altar and its recess are most interesting, the rear wall of the
former being decorated in classic design.
This chapel is of the third order of St. Francis, the founder of the
Franciscan Order. In the oval space over the arch which spans the
entrance to the altar are the "arms" of the third order, consisting of
the Cross and the five wounds (the stigmata) of Christ, which were
conferred upon St. Francis as a special sign of divine favor.
Father Wallischeck is now (1913) arranging for the complete restoration
of this beautiful little chapel and appeals for funds to aid in
the work.