Mission Santa Barbara

The Mission Santa Barbara is a Spanish Franciscan mission near present day Santa Barbara, California. It was founded on December 4, 1786, the feast day of Saint Barbara, to convert the local tribe of the Chumash ( canalino ) to Christianity. The Mission grounds stands on a hill between the Pacific Ocean and the Santa Ynez Mountains and was consecrated by Father Fermín Lasuén, who took over the presidency of the California mission chain upon the death of Father Junipero Serra President. The Mission Santa Barbara is the only mission that was led by the Franciscan monks since the day of its founding.

History

The name of the Mission Santa Barbara goes back to the legend of Saint Barbara, a girl who was allegedly beheaded by her father because she clung to the Christian faith. During the first few years three other chapels were built, each larger than the previous one. It was not until the great earthquake of Santa Barbara of 21 December 1812, the existing buildings were destroyed, construction began on the mission today. The towers again contributed an earthquake on June 29, 1925 considerable damage to them, but were later rebuilt. The appearance of the church interior has not changed since 1820.

Many elements of the extensive water treatment system of the mission, all of which were built by the labor of Indians ( including aqueducts, two reservoirs and a filter house ) remain to this day, as well as a corn mill; the larger reservoir, built in 1806, was incorporated into the water system of the state. The original source and the lavadero are still intact near the entrance to the mission. A built in 1807 dam is located in what is now Santa Barbara Botanical Garden of the top of the "Mission Canyon. " The Gerbbottiche, the ceramic furnace and the guardhouse are today, all in ruins. In 1818, two Argentine ships were approaching under the command of the French privateer Hipólito Bouchard the coast and threatened the nearby town. The Padres armed and trained 150 of the neophytes, to prepare for the attack. With their help, the Presidio soldiers turned against Bouchard, who sailed out without attack from the port ..

After the Mexican Congress had passed a law secularization of the Missions of California on August 17, 1833 Father Presidente Narciso Durán transferred the headquarters of the Mission Santa Barbara and made this the Mission Santa Barbara to a depot of some 3000 documents that all California missions were scattered. The archive of the mission is the oldest library in the State of California, which still is in the hands of their founders, the Franciscans. Starting served with the writings of Hubert Howe Bancroft, the library more than a century as a center for the historical study of the missions. In 1840, Alta California and Baja California from the Diocese of Sonora were spun off to form the Diocese of both of California. Bishop Francisco Garcia Diego y Moreno, OFM, turned his Cathedra in the Mission Santa Barbara and made ​​the chapel Prokathedrale the diocese until 1849. Under Bishop Thaddeus Amat y Brusi, CM, the chapel again served as Prokathedrale for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Monterey and then for the Diocese of Monterey - Los Angeles from 1853 to 1876. For this reason, only the chapel of the Mission Santa Barbara by all missions in California has two mutually matching bell towers. At that time, this particular architectural feature of a cathedral was reserved.

The Mission also has the oldest continuous tradition of choral singing among the California missions and, indeed, every Californian institution. The Catholic liturgy is presented by two church choirs, the California Mission Schola and the Cappella Barbara. The Mission archives contain one of the largest collections of colonial -known today Musikmanuskipten of the Franciscans, which are closely guarded (most have not been subjected to scientific analysis ). The original city of Santa Barbara developed between the actual mission and the harbor, right next to the El Presidio de Santa Bárbara Reál (the " Royal Spanish Presidio " ), about a mile southeast of the mission. As the city grew, it expanded over the coastal plain; a residential area surrounding the mission, even though it (such as the Natural History Museum ) on the surface adjacent to the site are public parks and a few public buildings. The Mission Santa Barbara today serves on the community as a parish church.

Pictures

Arcade

Plaque to the left of the main entrance of the church

Courtyard garden