King Ferdinand of Castile was born near Salamanca, Spain. Fighting continually, and with great success against the Moslems, he built and repaired churches in the newly conquered territory. He is noted for his founding of Spain’s great University of Salamanca in 1243. His death in 1251 ended a life of great service to the Church. He was canonized in 1671 at which time his body was found to be incorrupt. He was also a member of the Secular Franciscan Order.

Saint Ferdinand, King of Spain

This popular mission, perhaps because of its proximity to Hollywood, is often used for location shooting. Restoration was undertaken in 1923. When in 1971 the Sylmar earthquake made the church unsafe, the original structure was demolished and completely rebuilt. The most recognizable feature on the San Fernando Mission is the convento which is normally connected to the church, but at this mission the convento is separate with a beautiful colonnade of 21 Roman arches. Colonel Fremont used this building as his headquarters when the U.S. army invaded California in 1847. The convento houses one of the oldest libraries in California, featuring books collected by the friars which were periodically moved from one seminary to another. this two-story convento remains the largest adobe structure in California, 243x65x45 feet. The mission was founded September 8, 1797 by Fermin de Lasuen and was the 17th mission in the chain.