Part of the 21 Spanish missions scattered throughout the Mission Hills district of Los Angeles, California, the Mission of San Fernando was originally founded by Catholic missionaries from Spain in 1797. The current moniker was derived in honour of Saint Ferdinand, the king of Spain from approximately 1217 to 1252.

On September 8, 1797, the mission was founded by Father Fermín Lasuén who consecrated the native Indian site together with Spanish missionary Fray Francisco Dumetz. The mission expanded rapidly in number, serving as a religious site for an estimated total of 1,000 and more neophytes during the early 1800s, before it became secularized in the year 1834. In 1842, a momentous event happened on the site – a brother of the mission mayordomo (foreman) discovered gold particles near the mission grounds, triggering one of the earliest gold strikes even before the famed California Gold Rush. In 1920, the Mission of San Fernando regained its status as a working church and today, functions as a museum with a plethora of fascinating relics and memorabilia for visitors keen on exploring the historical and religious significance behind the city, its people, and its religion.