far studio gallery

Mission San Luis Rey is a National Historic Landmark located in Oceanside, CA. It was built in a combination of Spanish, Moorish, and Mexican styles. It is still in operation and many Catholic retreats are held on the grounds. You can see the remains of the lavanderia, brickwork gardens where the Indians used to wash clothes and use the water to support the orchard. Parts of the grounds were used by the military during the Mexican-American War. It was also used as a film setting by Walt Disney – several episodes of the television series, Zorro, were filmed here.

There are some very fine statues on the mission grounds. The life-sized bronzes of Jesus holding the cross are particularly impressive. The gardens and cemetery are beautiful. It’s well-worth a visit for those who enjoy learning more about California or Christian history.

The Mission

The Statues

Cemetery

This Skull and Crossbones was added to the cemetery wall when they filmed Zorro here.