Mission San Antonio de Padua: "The Lonely Mission" of California

Mission San Antonio de Padua (founded 1771, 3rd of 21) is nicknamed "The Lonely Mission" for its extreme isolation.

Why "Lonely"?

• Location: Jolon, Monterey County – deep in the Santa Lucia Mountains, ~25 miles from the nearest town (King City), ~150 miles from both San Francisco and Los Angeles.
• No Presidio or Pueblo: Unlike other missions, no military fort or civilian town grew adjacent. It remained a purely religious/agricultural outpost.
• Abandonment: Secularized 1834; decayed. Roof collapsed 1880s. Restored 1903–1950s by Landmark Club & Hearst Foundation.

Features

• Architecture: Simple, massive adobe walls, red tile roof, long corridor (portico), original brick campanario (bell wall).
• Water System: Ingenious aqueduct (zanja) from San Antonio River – still functional.
• Art: Original reredos, statues, Native American neophyte artwork.
• Setting: 86 acres within Fort Hunter Liggett (active Army base). Access requires ID check at gate.

Visiting

Open daily 10am–4pm. Mass Sundays. Retreat center. No admission (donations). One of the most authentic, least commercialized missions—precisely because it's hard to reach.