Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, Franciscan mission in San Luis Obispo, United States.
Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa is a Franciscan mission church with museum in San Luis Obispo, California. The structure has adobe walls in an L shape with two naves that meet, and religious art from several centuries on the walls.
Father Junípero Serra founded the mission in 1772 as the fifth in the chain of California missions. After statehood in 1850, the buildings served for decades as courthouse and jail for the new county government.
The museum in the original wing holds objects from the Chumash people and later settlement days. Visitors can see rooms that once served as courtroom and jail after Spanish rule ended.
Masses take place on weekdays at 7 AM and 12:10 PM, with more services on weekends. The museum grounds remain open outside service times for visitors who want to explore the exhibits and interior rooms.
The church is the only L-shaped mission church in California: a second nave of almost equal size stands to the right of the altar, not a smaller chapel. The belfry and vestibule are combined in a way found at no other California mission. A bronze statue of a robed figure with a tall staff stands on a stone base in front.
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