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Travel & Experiences

Photos: Mission San Juan Bautista

On December 21, 2011, dawn light shines on Mission San Juan Bautista, where visitors and parishioners gathered for the winter solstice illumination.

On December 21, 2011, dawn light shines on Mission San Juan Bautista, where visitors and parishioners gathered for the winter solstice illumination.  (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

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This mission, operated by the Catholic Church, is at the heart of the sleepy town of San Juan Bautista (population 1,862) and faces a broad, grassy plaza, part of San Juan Bautista State Historic Park.

San Juan Bautista, 15th mission, 1797

Crowds including Native Americans wait for the sun to rise for the illumination at Mission San Juan Bautista on Dec. 21, 2011.  (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

San Juan Bautista, 15th mission, 1797

Visitors and parishioners wait in a darkened church for the early morning illumination of the altar. Mission San Juan Bautista has the widest church interior of any in California, with three aisles.   (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

San Juan Bautista, 15th mission, 1797

An early morning beam of light streams through the church door and illuminates the altar on Dec. 21, 2011.  (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

San Juan Bautista, 15th mission, 1797

Franciscan friar Brother Keith Warner walks through an early morning beam of sunlight that illuminates the church’s altar. The mission has a history of ambitious music programs, and its museum collection includes instruments and two hand-written choir books from the mission’s early years.   (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

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