Mission Soledad

Mission Soledad, or more formally La Mision de Maria Santisima Nuestra Senora de la Soledad (Mary Most Holy, Our Most Sorrowful Lady of Solitude), is the 13th mission in California. Founded in 1791 by Father Fermin Lasuen, the mission was built to link and shorten the distance between Mission San Antonio and Mission Carmel. Constructed of adobe brick, Mission Soledad was destroyed by three large floods between 1824 and 1832 which irreparably damaged the buildings. These floods, along with secularization of the mission, and increases in farming production in the Salinas Valley led to the decline of the mission. Today visitors can tour the reconstructed South Wing and Chapel, ruinous original walls, historic grave sites, as well as the beautiful views surrounding the site.