The ruin of the Great Stone Church at Mission San Juan Capistrano is monument to California's multicultural history, embracing its Spanish, Mexican, Native American and European heritage. Walls tower 50 feet in the air crowned by a 125-foot bell tower, made entirely of native stone. Huge, intricately carved cornices of rock are perfectly joined.
Triple arches reach boldly to the sky and then abruptly break, leaving the mark of mystery and time.
Now a ruin, the edifice was once a great stone church. Its story is legendary. It tells of European and native cultures uniting toward a common goal. The inspiration behind the church was Junipero Serra, the Spanish padre who founded the missions and became California's first citizen. Only one of the mission churches, the Great Stone Church at Mission San Juan Capistrano, is built of stone.