It was founded on June 24, 1797 by Fermín Lasuén. It was one of many Spanish missions founded in what is now called California. They were built to help spread the Christian religion among the local Native Americans who were living there at the time. Lasuén was born in Spain on July 7, 1736 and joined the Franciscan Order as a teenager, entering the Friary of San Francisco shortly before his fifteenth birthday on March 19, 1751.
Glad to help out with these questions as I always like learning new stuff!
