San Fernando Mission may be familiar to movie fans in its latest incarnation as a set for many movies. In 1797, a priest by the name of Father Serro created the mission, said to have been named for the Spanish King Ferdinand III. Once home to hundreds of cattle-raising Indians, the San Fernando Mission was abandoned in 1847 but underwent restoration in the early 1900s.
The site of the San Fernando Mission is just north of Los Angeles at the north end of the San Fernando Valley.
Founded in 1797 by Father Fermin Francisco de Lasuen, the San Fernando Mission was one of eight other missions he established.
During the early years of the mission, it provided a center for almost 1,000 Indians who were able to support themselves by selling leather products from the cattle they raised; they also raised sheep. The mission also housed travelers.
The Gold Rush affected the fate of the mission, which was overrun with prospectors in 1842; rumors that there was gold under the floorboards led to the destruction of much of the building, and the mission was abandoned in 1847.
In 1923 restoration of the mission began and it once again became a church. Since 1974 visitors have been able to see a replica.
