Mission San Francisco de Solano

In 1869, King Charles III of Spain sent Father Junipero Serra to build a string of missions in California. By 1823 21 missions had been built. The Spanish friars and Indian tribes helped to build them. Mission San Francisco de Solano (pictured above) was the last one built. The Roman Catholic church set up each mission to convert people to Christianity. A convert was called a neophyte. Russian fur traders shared their supplies and donated bells to Mission San Francisco de Solano in the 19th century. Today the mission is part of the Sonoma town square. Sonoma is the center of Northern California's wine country.