Lost in the hillside, this restored mission is one of the most beautiful of California. Most of its buildings and the pastoral setting are original, transporting visitors back in time to the mission's heyday in the early 19C. Next to the simple church are reconstructed workshops, military barracks, the monks' residence and the office which ran the former ranch which used to measure 300,000 acres/120,000ha and the 1,000 ranch employees.