Mission San Francisco de Asis also known as Mission Dolores stands on Sixteenth Street, San Francisco, as the oldest building in the city. Father Francisco Palou, founder of Mission Dolores, was Father Junipero Serra's Franciscan companion at the Carmel Mission, 70 miles down the coast. Mission Dolores came up with its beautiful name in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, the founder of the Franciscan order in Italy.

The architecture in Mission Dolores is very interesting; there is no bell tower. The three original bells hang in niches in a loft above the main entrance. The bells were cast in Mexico, one in 1792 and the others in 1797. The redwood ceiling beams inside the Mission are decorated in colorful zigzag native designs and the wooden columns are painted to look like marble. Amazingly, the walls are four feet thick!

In 1791 a wonderful new church was built right next door to Mission San Francisco de Asis. It is still used today. Baptisms, weddings and funerals are held there. The cemetery on the Mission grounds is beautiful. Statues and flower garlands are all around you when you sit on the cool stone bench and listen to the rustling trees. This cemetery grew at a startling rate because of the spread of fatal illnesses. But in 1817 a hospital Mission was built in San Rafael where Mission Dolores inhabitants could recuperate from serious illnesses. The 1906 earthquake didn't harm the solid structure of Mission San Francisco de Asis while buildings on both sides including the church suffered serious damage. When gold was discovered in California in 1849, the population of the drowsy pueblo went from about 900 to 20,000 in only a year! This made the Mission that more important!

Mission San Francisco de Asis is still standing; it is viewed by tourists and used by people to pray and practice their religion. A small part has been made into a museum for people to look at. It is really cool; they show the original bricks in one part of the wall and rusty old-fashioned keys from long ago in a glass case.

Very fortunately, Mission Dolores kept its original art. When you walk down the aisle of the sanctuary, beautiful sculptures and paintings surround you. Each one comes to life telling a story. The detailed sculptures are magnificent, some show great emotion. It is special to see the art; each sculpture stares at you like it has something to say, but you never quite know what.

Whether you're interested in spirituality, history or art, a visit to Mission San Francisco de Asis is a worthwhile trip.