Conception from the south side presents the Moorish dome with its wide stone serrations. The walls at the right are all that remain of the mission kitchen, destroyed during the battle of Conception in 1835.
A simple arcade runs south from the entrance of Conception, connecting at the right and far end with the former living quarters of the monks.
Mission San Jose (San Jose y San Miguel de Aguayo), acclaimed “Queen of the Missions”, was established in 1720 by Father Margil, one of the pioneer missionaries of New Spain. The first chapel was completed in 1731, and the entire mission plan, in all of its glory, by 1779. Time and neglect had caused many of the original mission buildings to crumble away.
As it stands today, with restoration completed, San Jose presents an interesting picture of the extensiveness of the original mission plan. It was the most beautiful, the most prosperous and the best fortified of the missions in New Spain. The mission building itself faces west, with a frontage of 62 feet, and including the monastery wing, is 241 feet long. The front walls are almost 5 feet thick and the others but slightly less. The Mission is enclosed in a quadrangle embracing more than six acres, protected by ramparts forming the outer walls of the Indian quarters which were a part of the establishment.
Construction of the chapel took ten years, following a slow and tedious process. As the main walls were built, earth was constantly hauled in, the level being raised as the stones were piled higher. When the roof line was reached, dirt for the dome was piled higher and moulded so that each stone could be locked in place. With the roof completed, the dirt was dug out from beneath and the balance of the building finished. The single tower of San Jose rises to the height of the average seven and one-half story building, and the hemispheric dome of the church is almost as high.
The richly ornamented facade of San Jose is considered one of this Mission’s most notable features. Those parts not originally covered with carving were decorated with frescoes. The facade is rich with beautiful stone carving and ornamentation that is still in an excellent state of preservation despite the vandalism of relic hunters during the many years the mission was deserted following secularization.
