Mission San José de Guadalupe was founded on June 11, 1797 by Father Fermín Francisco de Lasuén, the fourteenth in the California mission chain. It is named for Saint Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church and is located in the Mission San Jose District of Fremont, California (formerly an independent town, at ), a spot that the natives called Oroysom in the Valley of San José. Fathers Isidoro Barcenilla and Agustín Merino arrived to take charge of the new mission on August 28, 1797.

Mexican Governor Pio Pico sold the mission in 1845 for $12,000. During the 1848 California Gold Rush, the Mission became a general store, saloon and hotel. In 1853, the church became the local parish church. Some of the original exterior adobe buttresses were removed on orders of the parish priest. On October 21, 1868, an earthquake destroyed everything save for part of the padre's quarters (including the mission capilla chapel). A small wooden church was built on the site and used for over 100 years. The related Mission buildings to the south were not significantly damaged.

In 1985, restoration of the church was completed by the Committee for the Restoration of the Mission San Jose and the Catholic Diocese of Oakland. It is a near-perfect replica of the original church, but built with a completely-hidden steel frame for earthquake resistance. The original padre's quarters are now a small museum. Saint Joseph's Church at the Mission San José is today a local parish church. The church has regular services and also has a visitors' center, museum and slide show telling the history of the Mission.

Historic designations

• National Register of Historic Places #NPS-71000131
• California Historic Landmark #334

See also

• California mission

External links

• The Dominican Sisters of Mission San José
• Elevation & Site Layout sketches of the Mission proper