Mission San Aotonio de Padua was established third, dedicated to Saint Anthony of Padua, the patron saint for the poor. This mission is also relatively far north from other early missions, located in present-day Monterey County near the commuity of Jolon.

Though established in 1771, the construction of the church itself did not begin until 1810. As the first mission to use fire-tile roofing, the roofing became one of the most ensuring features of the site, until a number of roof tiles were hauled off for use on a railroad depot in the San Francisco peninsula.

The mission suffered the same fate of secularization as the other missions, beginning in 1834. Not exactly near... anything... the mission property had no bidders or buyers for the site, and it just sat. And sat, until the 1870s, when the site was simply returned to the Roman Catholic Church.

Restoration efforts began in 1903, first with the removal of tons of debris and rubbish from the site, but the 1906 earthquake significantly compromised the buildings, and while a number of efforts were deemd complete by the 1950s (a 50-year effort), earthquake retrofits required by the State of California still require a significant investment to complete the work. Fundraising efforts remain ongoing (more on that on their web site, here).

Founded: July 14, 1771 (#3) by Fathers Junipero Serra, in near present-day Jolon, California at the end of Mission Road (on the outskirts of Fort Hunter Liggett).

Visit: Admission is donation-based; suggested amounts are $5 adults, $3 seniors and active military, $3 children under 12; as of July 2018. Check in advance on their web site; this mission is predominately staffed by volunteers, and hours may vary, but they strive for operating daily from 10am to 4pm, and generally closed on Mondays.

Learn more: Mission's Web Site * Wikipedia: Mission San Antonio de Padua * Photos I Took * Tour Map (PDF will open in a new window; copyright Mission san Antonio de Padua)