Mission San Diego de Alcalá
The church façade of Mission San Diego de Alcalá | |
| Location | 10818 San Diego Mission Rd. San Diego, California 92108-2429 |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 32°47′4″N 117°6′23″W / 32.78444°N 117.10639°W |
| Name as founded | La Misión San Diego de Alcalá |
| English translation | The Mission of Saint Didacus of Acalá |
| Patron | Saint Didacus of Alcalá |
| Nickname(s) | "Mother of the Alta California Missions" |
| Founding date | July 16, 1769 |
| Founding priest(s) | Father Presidente Junípero Serra |
| Built | 1769 |
| Architect | Fr. Jose Bernardo Sanchez |
| Founding Order | First |
| Headquarters of the Alta California Mission System | 1769–1771 |
| Military district | First |
| Native tribe(s) Spanish name(s) | Kumeyaay (Ipai / Tipai) Diegueño |
| Native place name(s) | Kosoi, Nipawai |
| Baptisms | 6,522 |
| Confirmations | 1,379 |
| Marriages | 1,794 |
| Burials | 4,322 |
| Neophyte population | 1,455 |
| Secularized | 1834 |
| Returned to the Church | 1862 |
| Governing body | Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego |
| Current use | Parish Church |
| Official name: San Diego Mission Church | |
| Designated | April 15, 1970 |
| Reference no. | 70000144 |
| Designated | April 15, 1970 |
| Reference no. | #242 |
| Designated | October 6, 1976 |
| Reference no. | 113 |
| Website | |
| missionsandiego | |
Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcalá (Spanish: Misión San Diego de Alcalá, lit. The Mission of Saint Didacus of Acalá) was the second Franciscan founded mission in the Californias (after San Fernando de Velicata), a province of New Spain. Located in present-day San Diego, California, it was founded on July 16, 1769, by Spanish friar Junípero Serra, in an area long inhabited by the Kumeyaay people. The current church, built in the early 19th century, is the fifth to stand on this location. The mission site is a National Historic Landmark.
The mission and the surrounding area were named for the Catholic saint Didacus of Alcalá, a Spaniard more commonly known as San Diego. The mission was the site of the first Christian burial in Alta California. The original mission burned in 1775 during an uprising by local natives. San Diego is also generally regarded as the site of the region's first public execution, in 1778. Father Luis Jayme, California's first Christian martyr who was among those killed during the 1775 uprising against the mission, lies entombed beneath the chancel floor.