Northeast of Carmel-by-the-Sea is the Old Mission San Juan Bautista, which is one of the prettiest of those I have visited. It was opened in June 1797 by Fr. Fermin de Lasuen, successor to Juniper Serra. Fr. Lasuen founded four missions. This was the 15th of the 21 missions in Alta or Upper California. The cornerstone was laid for the present church in 1803. The square surrounding the Mission is equally interesting, with many historic buildings from the 1800’s including a hotel and stables. It is a State Park. The Mission is located on Rts101 and 156 north of Salinas, between San Francisco and Carmel.
