Located 25 miles north of Los Angeles in the San Fernando Valley, the convento is the largest freestanding adobe in California, and was originally used as a hospice for travelers. Today, the church, school, convento and workshops have all been restored to their original purposes and are open for viewing. Above the church altar is a statue of Saint Ferdinand brought from Spain years ago. In the old mission plaza sits the original flower-shaped fountain. It was the last mission the humble priest would christen.
Restored in , the facade exhibits an unusual triangular design which opens into the gardens. A museum exhibits artifacts that include two old wooden bells, the only ones of their type known in California.
Situated three blocks from the ocean, the mission fronts on the main street of Ventura. Main St. The church was destroyed in by earthquake; however, restorations have returned it to its original grandeur of wrought iron, terra cotta and carved wood. Patterned after an ancient Latin chapel in pre-Christian Rome, its twin bell towers and Doric facade present an imposing impression of strength. Located on a hilltop overlooking the city, the mission provides a spectacular view of the ocean.
The museum contains a vast store of historical material and displays many original items. Santa Ines, 19th mission Named for a 13 year-old Roman martyr, St. Amazingly, it survived the numerous earthquakes.
The museum contains a notable collection of vestments, church records and missals, and the church displays some of the original decorations on a wall behind the altar. A historic grape arbor shelters a walkway that transports the visitor back in time, emerging in the lovely gardens that appear today much as they did nearly years ago.
Considered to be the best example of mission architecture, it has 37 rooms that have been completely restored and furnished. Volunteers perform living history demonstrations of mission life such as candle making and weaving. In the garden area, water flows through a series of pools and a fountain before passing through the lavandareas where the mission women washed clothes. Plants were brought from the 20 other mission gardens to form one of the finest collections of early California flora in existence.
Horses, cattle, burros and the four-horned Churro sheep graze in the quiet pastures. Louis, Bishop of Tolosa in , and was the first mission to use tiles extensively on the roof due to repeated attacks by Indians who used flaming arrows to ignite the original thatched roof.
Situated in the fertile, well-watered Valley of the Bears, the mission produced an abundance of crops, and two water-powered grist mills processed foods normally ground by hand. The mission underwent an extensive restoration program in the 's and today welcomes visitors to its nearly-original condition. Total assimilation of indigenous populations called neophytes or new believers into European culture and the Catholic religion was a doctrine established in in Spain.
Believing that it was possible to create self-sustaining mission villages, the government sent "missionaries" from the Catholic church to help construct and operate each mission. The effort did introduce modern foods, trees, cultivation methods to produce wine, and livestock to areas where fish and wild game were meals of choice, but measles and other diseases also arrived, decimating entire native populations except for a few survivors.
Under the leadership of a Franciscan, Fr. Junipero Serra, the California mission system had been launched. He is buried at the Carmel Mission. When the Mexican Congress passed the Act for the Secularization of the Missions of California on August 17, , it called for the colonization of both Alta our current California in the U. Most missions fell into disrepair, but those with a passion for history and heritage have worked hard to save these landmarks.
The mission successfully planted a vineyard and produced wine. Mission inhabitants used furnaces imported from Spain to convert ore to iron. The eighth California mission was established the next year in Today, the mission remains next to the oldest university in California, the University of Santa Clara. Floods and earthquakes besieged original inhabitants, and temporary relocations occurred from time to time. The Franciscans used cactus-based paint to make the chapel vibrant and colorful.
The original mission building no longer exists but there are pieces of the walls that can be seen at the original site. Today, Mission Santa Barbara draws history buffs and the faithful from around the world. Check the mission website for information about church services and tours. Volunteers operate a gift shop and maintain the grounds. The last three California missions were built within the first quarter of the 19th century.
Earthquakes and inclement weather created the need to constantly repair the chapels, churches, and residences. Drought, hunger, and fire occurred on the missions. Later missions included aqueducts to provide a steady supply of water. Filtration systems were in occasional use. Relationships between natives and mission settlers were cordial in some areas and hostile in others. Thousands of indigenous Americans were buried on mission grounds. Do you have a different spot to recommend?
Leave a comment below. Thanks for checking out the blog, I am happy to be sharing my adventures with you! You can get to know me by reading my about me , which includes a video and additional information on the site, myself and my full disclosure.
Also, follow along on Twitter here or read all of my posts on this blog here. The 21 California Missions Here are each of the 21 missions from south to north, click on the image to learn more about each one.
San Diego De Alcala. San Luis Rey De Francia. San Juan Capistrano. San Gabriel Arcangel. San Fernando Rey De Espana. San Buenaventura. Mission Santa Barbara.
In the s, gold-hungry prospectors dug up the church floor several times, certain that treasure was buried underneath. Carefully tended buildings and grounds include a convent, winery, gardens, and colonnade with 20 arches. Actor Bob Hope and other L. Old Mission San Buenaventura , Ventura. Part of the original aqueduct is still used by the city of Santa Barbara.
Manicured gardens and well-preserved paintings and wall frescoes make this one of the most charming and colorful missions on this list. The museum houses a large collection of s silk vestments. Golden grasses and oak-covered hills frame the view from the chapel entrance.
Now a state historic park, this mission is the most completely restored of the chain. Ten of the original buildings remain, including the church, blacksmith shop, and living quarters. Hiking and equestrian trails lace the 1,acre grounds, where ranch animals graze. Docent demonstrations and living history events take place frequently.
In , several Native Americans hostile toward the mission shot flaming arrows onto the thatched roof, prompting the missionaries to learn to make clay roof tiles. Red tile roofs soon became the mission standard. Mission San Miguel , San Miguel. This National Historic Landmark houses colorful wall frescoes that were painted by Native Americans in
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