The cemetery at Mission San Luis Rey

Every Mission has a cemetery, often the oldest graves predate the present buildings. At the San Fernando Mission, Bob Hope and his family were given a place of honor, a whole section of the garden to themselves. Here at San Luis Rey, I didn’t see any celebrities, but this is a very desirable final resting place.I’m glad they are emphatic about the no pets rule. It’s amazing to me how people take their pets everywhere, especially to places they shouldn’t be. One of the old gates into the cemetery. The official website says that the cross and bones is a symbol of a cemetery for the Franciscan order. Look at images online, there ae many examples.Wikipedia says it was put there by Disney in 1957 when they filmed the Zoro movie here. Ah, Wikipedia, so dangerous to take you at face value.

The official website says they just replaced some gates. Not these gates, there is a section with metal gates.The cemetery is very peaceful, with many different sections. Today anyone can be buried here, for a price of course. Unlike San Fernando where one must be Catholic. It was touching to see the grave of a soldier from WWI. I wonder if he was really buried here, or if his family erected a tombstone in his honor. Most people who died ‘over there’ were buried there. All America has asked for when it fought wars over seas was for land to bury their dead – they didn’t conquer and stay. Today the bodies are brought home, transportation is very different.A simple family plot? 1872, 1943, written in very crude letters.  The McCrory family has a mausoleum, it too is rather simple.24 years old, or rather young. In those days death was much more common at any age, not just the very old.Multiple burials in a well are very common these days, less room, less cost. And yet no one is skimping on decorations and mementos, even on the wall.I can’t help but wonder what happened here. There were a number of crosses in a row, this one was knocked down. I didn’t see any name. Maybe it will be repaired soon, the whole area is so well cared for, this was jarring.

Overall, a very peaceful complentative place.

 

 

 

 

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Leah

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