Featuring a floor plan in the shape of a Greek cross, the mission suffered serious damage when the ceiling and bell tower collapsed during the 1829 hurricane. It has only been restored over the last 25 years and today is splendid sight both inside and out.

Above the entrance to Loreto's mission, the inscription Cabeza y Madre de las Misiones de Baja y Alta California (Head and Mother of the Missions of Upper and Lower California) attests to Loreto's role as the first capital of the Californias.