Founded by Jose Vicente de Sarría on Dec. 4, 1817 as an asistencia. Full Mission status granted Oct. 1822.

20th Mission in California. Second to last of California Missions.

The Adobe Building of the Mission is dwarfed in size by the St. Raphael Church standing next to it, similarly to the Mission in San Francisco. The original Mission was founded in 1817 as an asistencia (Appendix?) of the Mission San Francisco de Asís. Served as a hospital, making it Alta California's first sanitarium. It was granted full mission status 5 years later. After secularization following Mexico's independence Mission was abandoned 1842, and even razed to the ground in 1870. Rebuilt in 1949 with a help from the Hearst Foundation. The present day building is also a replica.

Located in 1104 Fifth Ave. San Rafael, CA 94901. The official Web Page of San Rafael Mission provides details about self guided tour and visiting hours. This Mission has an active parish and it is a center for social events.

The Mission Chapel is open for visitors only in the following times:
Monday through Friday: 9:00 to 17:00, Saturday: 9:00 to 16:00 and Sunday: 9:00 to 13:00.

The Museum and Gift Store are located in the adjacent building and may close earlier than the Mission itself. For example the Museum closes at 14:00 already(!) on Saturday. Occasional liturgies or community events may limit access to the Mission Chapel even more. A self guided tour visitors are asked to call 415-456-3016 in advance to confirm visitors hours.

The active social live around the Mission is real. During our visit to this Mission we witnessed a wedding and a quinceañera! We were told, it is a very common occurrence on weekends. Such is the intense active social live here! Thus take the advice seriously, and call in advance if you plan to explore the Mission!

Wikipedia page of Mission San Rafael.