Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa

Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, facing Mission Plaza at Chorro and Monterey sts., is often called “The Prince of Missions.” Named for a 13th-century French saint, the Bishop of Toulouse, the 1772 mission is now a parish church. In order to repel flaming arrow attacks by unfriendly natives, the mission was built with a tile roof instead of the usual ignitable thatch roof. A museum contains Chumash Indian artifacts and memorabilia from early settlers. There also are gardens.