A fountain in the middle of the Mission courtyard
A fountain in the middle of the Mission courtyard

We recently made a trip to the San Fernando Rey de España Mission, aka the San Fernando Mission, in the San Fernando Valley. The Mission is located just northeast of where the 405 and 118 freeways meet. We’ve always talked about going there, but this was my first time visiting. The parking lot is pretty small but there were a couple of spots open. There’s also a park across the street that had street parking.

As California Missions go, the San Fernando Mission is one of the newer ones, founded in 1797. As you’d expect, there are a number of buildings in the Mission that house a variety of historic Catholic and Mission-era artifacts. The Mission is named for King Ferdinand III of Spain.

The Mission has a history of damage and repair. The Mission was used for many years but fell into disrepair in the 1880s. The Mission was damaged extensively during the 1971 Sylmar earthquake. The church at the back of the Mission was rebuilt at this time. During the 1994 Northridge earthquake, the Mission had about $2 million in damages.

My son, Matthew, found it interesting that they once had bullfights in the middle of the Mission courtyard. He also liked the fact that in the middle of one of the buildings had a vending machine full of different kinds of candy.

Interesting notes about the San Fernando Mission:

  • The courtyard in the middle of the Mission was once used to hold bullfights
  • Entryway arches were short because the Spanish missionaries as well as the Native Americans in the area were short
  • The Mission had a collection of over three hundred of Madonna statues, but about a hundred of them were destroyed during the Northridge earthquake
  • The Convento building shows a video that tells about the history of the Mission.
  • Bob and Dolores Hope are interred at the Mission near the rear beyond the church
  • Peacocks were around when the Mission was founded, and were later re-introduced (although we didn’t see any)
    • Kid Interest Level: 4 (10 being the most) The wine cellar was interesting and we would have found it more fascinating if there were peacocks.
    Parking Difficulty: Parking Rating: Medium
    Medium — there’s a very small parking lot and there’s parking across the street.
    Where: Go to Google Maps Location
    External Links:
  • Short history from the LA Times
  • SF Mission Wikipedia page
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    There's a sundial at the back of the courtyard that you can use to try to figure out the time.
    There’s a sundial at the back of the courtyard that you can use to try to figure out the time.

    Bob and Dolores Hope are interred at the rear of the Mission.
    Bob and Dolores Hope are interred at the rear of the Mission.
    Bob Hope artwork overlooks the Bob Hope Memorial Gardens at the rear of the San Fernando Mission.
    Bob Hope artwork overlooks the Bob Hope Memorial Gardens at the rear of the San Fernando Mission.
    Bob Hope's grave at the San Fernando Mission
    Bob Hope’s grave at the San Fernando Mission
    Some exposed adobe from the San Fernando Mission
    Some exposed adobe from the San Fernando Mission
    The church at the San Fernando Mission
    The church at the San Fernando Mission
    Restored room in the Convento building
    Restored room in the Convento building
    There are a number of olive trees at the Mission. Olives were grown during the 1800s and the locals produced Olive Oil.
    There are a number of olive trees at the Mission. Olives were grown during the 1800s for the production of Olive Oil.