Mission San Rafael Arcangel is in the heart of San Rafael. The small white building that stands today is a 1949 replica of the original Mission San Rafael Arcangel. The original mission was built in 1817 and is the second-to-last in the California mission chain.

Attached to the mission is St. Raphael School and parish. The school has approximately 225 students from kindergarten through eighth grade and is a traditional Catholic primary school, one of the oldest of its kind in northern California.

Founded in the 1700's as one of the Spanish Missions, Mission San Rafael Arcangel became the nucleus around which the settlement of San Rafael developed. Relics and old pictures are displayed and a self-guiding audiotape tour is available. The mission is open daily.

Location: 1104 5th Avenue at A Street, San Rafael California Telephone 415-454-8141

Other upcoming events include: Sandhill Crane Festival Lodi continuing thru November 9 San Francisco Jazz Festival San Francisco continuing thru November 21