Wed. of this week found us at San Juan Bautista, CA site of Mission San Juan Bautista established in1797. The original mission consisted of an adobe church, granary, barracks, monastery and some adobe houses all built by friendly people that inhabited the area. Construction on the present church began in 1803 with dedication in 1812. It had 3 aisles and thus was the widest church of all the mission churches built through California. The cemetery on the east side of the church contain the remains of over 4000 Christain Native Americans and Europeans.
In 1835 the Mexican government seized much of the mission property. In 1855 the present mission buildings and 55 acres were returned to the church by federal decree. The San Andeas fault runs along the base of the hill below the cemetery. As a result of the 1906 earth quake the side walls collapsed and were restored in 1976.
What is now the historic Plaza Hotel was originally a one story adobe building that housed 5 or 6 soldiers. It was purchased in 1856 by Angelo Zanetta. He then added a wooden second story and in 1859 it opened as a hotel that would become famous for its French & Italian cuisine. In 1870 a stable was built by John Comfort and Zanetta to accommodate the 11 stagecoaches that were arriving daily from Los Angeles or San Francisco. They also converted an adobe house that housed unmarried women and girls from the mission to be used as the courthouse. However Hollister became the county seat so Zanetta converted it to his private residence.
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