Misión San Francis de
Asís was established on June 27,
1776, by Father Francisco Palou and José Joaquin
Moraga. The town of Yerba Buena was established
nearby. As time went by the town took the name
Saint Francis, while the mission popularly became
known as Dolores. Now the oldest building in San
Francisco, the original church structure has
withstood three major earthquakes with barely a
crack in its thick walls.