Now let us look at the Old Mission Church. The church was built between 1816-1818 using all locally made or sourced materials. As a matter of fact, the Friars began preparation to build the church by starting to make the terra cotta roof tiles years in advance.

The walls are adobe, and about six feet thick. The church is traditionally east facing. Its length is 144 feet and the height is 40 feet. The width of the church is 27 feet. This measurement was practically determined by the maximum available length of the original cedar timbers used for the roof beams. These timbers were cut about 40 miles away from the Mission - along the Pacific sea coast near the town of what is now called Cambria. They were hauled by oxen cart across the Santa Lucia Mountians, probably following the old trail along Las Tablas Creek in the Adelaida.

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