The Church

The church is 150 feet long, 35 feet wide and 29 feet high. The church is long and narrow and because the width of the building was determined by the height of the trees available for beams. Windows were built high for protection and to prevent the walls from collapsing under the weight of the adobe. Specially treated rawhide was used to cover the window openings instead of glass., Military operation of the Mission San Diego began in 1847 when the Mormon Volunteer Battalion of the U.S. Cavalry lived on the grounds. The soldiers added a second floor to the interior of the church for barracks and used the ground floor as a stable. Exterior ladders extended up to the windows which were used as doors. The Army of the Pacific resided at Mission San Diego from 1851 to 1858 and the Mission remained Army Headquarters until 1862, when Abraham Lincoln deeded the Mission ruins and 22 surrounding acres back to the Church., In 1931 the building was restored to the specifications and appearance of the church of 1813. Original materials present in the building include the wooden beams over the doorways, the adobe bricks in the baptistry arch, and the dark floor tiles made by the padres and the Indians.