GOVERNORS ROOM (BEDROOM)

In the early decades of the l9th century, during the mission period, the priest used the Convento as an inn to accommodate travelers along El Camino Real. There were always rooms ready for guests. The padres, whose own rooms were spartan and devoid of ornamentation, set aside a special room for distinguished visitors.

This room, later used by Governor Pio Pico and John Charles Fremont, reflects a level of comfort not available to the average person. We see a four-poster-canopied bed with handmade "creweled" bedspread and a carved walnut chest. A ceramic washbowl sits on the desk. The ornately carved chairs have "tooled" leather backs.

GOVERNORS ROOM

This room, a part of the Convento Building reserved for guests, the "Hospice;" was sealed off for many years. It was discovered when opened for restoration work in this century. Traces of color were found under the white-washed walls so it was speculated that this room was for special, more important visitors.

When the United States acquired California after the "Mexican War" of 1846-47, for a time, the rooms in the Hospice section of the Convento were used by the Butterfield Stage Company as a rest stop. Later in the century, the rooms were used as a stable or for storing grain. The furnishings in this room, as well as the others recreated at the San Fernando Mission, are faithful copies of old Spanish "Colonial" mission furniture.

BEDROOM / COMMON HOSTEL ROOM

The San Fernando Mission, sitting on El Camino Real, evolved into the San Fernando Valley's first hotel. Because of this, the padres set up rooms to accommodate the many travelers. These rooms were spartan and strictly utilitarian in layout. These rooms were more like barracks than individual facilities.

The furniture was simple and understated, intended to be only functual. Unlike the Governors room that was set aside for distinguished guests, these hostel rooms were plain and unadorned. All of the rooms at the San Fernando Mission were cold at night.