Located in San Miguel, California this Mission is number sixteen. It was named for the Archangel Michael, Chief angel of the Archangels who was known as the "Capitan of the Armies of God." San Miguel Archangel is one of only three Missions named for angels.

My mission has the architecture and design of old Spanish Colonial style buildings, as built by the first Europeans to settle in California. They brought this style of building churches from their homes in Spain and adapted these styles to California.

The church uses the traditional red tile Spanish roof as well as adobe brick. The red tile brick roof was originally brought to Spain by the Arabs before South America, as well as to the Caribbean and as far away as the Philippines.

This history of this Mission includes its founding in 1777 by Father Buenaventura Sitter, who spoke the native Indian dialect of the region fluently. A church was quickly built 34 feet by 20 feet made of adobe with a mud roof with living quarters that are surrounded by a fence.

In 1798 another church replaced the original structure but it was larger. This is the dwelling that stands to this day. For many years the church was not maintained and it is almost amazing that it has survived. It has one of the best preserved interiors of any Missions In California. It is still used to this day as a Roman Catholic Church.