mission san antonio de pala

The mission is beautifully restored and well worth the drive and $5 admission. Nice to see that the church is still active. The church and grounds tour takes about 30 minutes.

If you are expecting a huge cathedral or an architectural masterpiece, you are destined for disappointment. Honestly it is just like any other small rural church that you would see throughout the southwestern U.S. from Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, to California. Only this one has a gift shop!! It is NOT one of the 21 original missions of Southern California, so its historical impact is diminished. On the way to Pala casino so maybe you can stop in and pray for luck.I suppose if you are into native American culture the mission may be of interest to you.Saint Anthony is my patron saint, and it is the only thing that brought me here. Bottom line, it is of marginal interest and really not worth the trip at all..

Great courtyard, little gift shop and museum. Recommend it for a quick stop while out in the Pauma Valley

This Mission is in an obscure place but it's well worth the visit if you like visiting the California Missions. It is considered a "mission" site for the San Luis Rey Mission so it is not one of the 21 California Missions but it is as much a full Mission as any of the 21. We happened upon it by accident and we were very glad we did. It is about 20-25 minutes from the Welks Resort.

A small mission on the road between Oceanside and Palomar, in Pala on street parallel to Rt 76 near the Pala Casino. Grounds include a cemetery with some old and some interesting headstones, a bell tower, the museum and gift shop, a garden and the chapel. The chapel is small and very pretty with wall decorations by Indian artists and ceiling beams from local forests. The museum has the normal baskets and arrow heads but they are in very nice condition. The pictures of the old mission and of the Pala Indians very interesting. This is a good stop of 1 or 2 hours. Small fee for the museum but everything else is free. Staff is very friendly and helpful.

The mission is well kept and nice. The staff were friendly too and we got to meet local parishoners.

My husband and I are visiting all of the Missions in California (five in the past month) and also wanted to see the "asistencias" -- the mission outposts situated more inland. The San Antonio de Pala Asistencia, or the "Pala Mission", was founded on June 13, 1816. We would definitely recommend stopping by.The Pala Asistencia was part of the Spanish missions, asistencias, and estancias system in Alta California. Today it is located in the Pala Indian Reservation located in northern San Diego County. It is the only historic mission facility still serving a Mission Indian tribe.The Chapel has roof timbers from the local Palomar mountains. Walls are painted in Native American Indian design. The floor tiles are worn and lovely from countless visitors over the many years. The museum has a very nice display of baskets and stone implements as well as items used for celebrating Mass.The campanario (bell tower) is unique in that it is not attached to the mission itself but stands separately and proudly outside the "Campo Sancto" -- cemetery. Atop the bell tower is a small cactus with an interesting story. (Ask the friendly staff inside the museum/gift shop.)

This is a small church located near the Pala casino that is still being used by the local population. The inside is small and simple. It is a nice place to stop by and see the living history of the church in the area.

Many people visit the 21 California Mission every year. Some claim to have visited all the Missions, but most miss this one. While not a full Mission, it almost was and is still the only Mission continuously serving a Native American community since its founding in 1816. San Antonio de Pala, on the Pala Reservation, sits a short distance off Highway 76 about a half hour drive east of its mother Mission San Luis Rey and a few minutes east of I-15. The church is small and simple with artwork on the walls, but the bell tower is unique in that it is the only free-standing campanile among the Missions. The center of the quadrangle is filled with gardens and one wing has a small museum. The old cemetery lies beside the Mission. The Mission is an active parish with regular Masses and the school still serves the local children. The Mission is peaceful and worth the stop. I have stopped often on the way to San Diego.

The wife and I were checking out one of the local CA Indian Casinos, in this case the Pala Casino and Resort off the 76, about five mi east of the 215. After our stay there we noticed a sign that this mission, San Antonio de Pala Asistencia was near by. So we went for it since it was only about 2 miles away from the casino. After passing some local Mom and Pop Stores that sold avocados and local Mexican Food. We found the mission. It is small since it served as an assistant church of Mission San Luis Rey de Francia to serve the local Pala Indians. The mission still serves the Pala Indians today, and has done so continiously since being founded by Padre Antonio Peuride back in 1816. It has a gift shop and quaint mission garden and a cemetery rt next to the chapel which is typical of CA Missions. There is beautiful bell tower that was acurately reproduced since the original was destroyed by hard rains in 1916. Inside we were impressed by the Indian Art on the walls and the Spanish Wood Icons, and Cedar Beams inside the mission. There is also a nice fountain in front which is great for that "Kodak Moment". It was nice and we checked it off our list as another Mission of CA to see in person even though this was not planned. Great history about this mission in fact I believe that even some former movie stars of the 30's and 40's were married here. We found it to be very interesting and inspiring.

This mission is just beatiful, it is a small place full of simplicity, grace and beauty. For pictures go to ------

Situada em frente ao Cassino Pala, é um local Histórico, com uma igrejinha onde há ainda, missas rezadas em Latim! Fica um pouco distante da cidade, mas a estrada é linda!