Mission San Luis Rey de Francia
4050 Mission Avenue, Oceanside, CA 92057-6402
Tel: 760-757-3651
Visit Website
National Historic Landmark. Mission San Luis Rey was the eighteenth mission, founded June 13, 1798 by Fr. Lasuén. The mission is named for Louis IX, King of France (1215-70), canonized 1290 due to his crusades to Egypt and Jerusalem. This mission had the largest number of Native American converts of any mission. Original buildings include the church (1811), cemetery wall, gardens, kilns, and a lavanderia (laundry and washing area featuring carved gargoyle spouts). Other parts of the mission complex and historic reconstructions built in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The oldest pepper tree in California resides at Mission San Luis Rey.
Directions to the Mission
From I-5: Exit to CA-76 East. Turn left onto Rancho del Oro. Cross Mission Street to the mission parking lot. Map
