“Soledad” in Spanish means loneliness, solitude or isolation which is apt for this Mission located in the middle of agricultural fields of the Salinas Valley. It is 5 miles to the town of Soledad, and 10 miles to Soledad State Prison.
It is a hard luck Mission that has been destroyed by recurring flooding from the Salinas River. And then there were droughts and epidemics. This was followed by secularization and decades of neglect and abandonment. Finally, the effort to restore the Mission began in 1954.
The church is small and intimate. The blue ceiling stands out with beams painted yellow and red. A statue of Mary is the center piece on the altar. The paintings on the wall, the stations of the cross, are the originals and are over 200 years old.
The adobe buildings were abandoned in the early 1830’s. The ruins, which once formed part of the Mission’s quadrangle, are now protected from the elements by a metal roof.
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The gift shop and small museum are in the Mission’s convent which was rebuilt in 1963. Here you’ll find religious artifacts and photographs.
One of the objects on display is the original mission bell, cast in Mexico in 1799.
There is also an impressive collection of models of all 21 Missions in the chain.
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Alta California Missions 