Father Serra founded this mission, named in honor of Saint Anthony, in 1771. When Serra returned to mission headquarters, Father Sitjar was one of two priests left to be a guiding force. Within Sitjar’s 37 years of service at the mission, he guided the Indigenous people on labor skills with significant results. He developed an irrigation system, which soon led to the fire water-powered gristmill in operation. After secularization arrived in 1834, natural elements began to eat away at Mission San Antonio. Efforts to renew the mission in 1903 were swept away in the devastating results of an earthquake just three years later. But reconstruction in 1948 cleared the way for the mission to be active again.
This mission is the 3rd created on the El Camino Real.
You'll find Casper, our black cat mascot, peeking through the fern watching for mew to visit! He is the sign of an authentic Cat's Meow!
We're a small workshop of 15 crew members in Wooster, Ohio who love our jobs of crafting replicas that hold deep meaning for you! Satisfy your Missions decorating itch with this keepsake, and while you're at it, add more pieces to make a Village!
