The 21 California missions were
the first permanent European settlements to be founded on the West coast,
beginning in 1769.
Founded on September 17, 1804 by
Father Estévan Tapís, the mission site was chosen as a midway point between
Mission Santa Barbara and Mission La Purísima Concepción, and was designed to
relieve overcrowding at those two missions and to serve the Indians living east
of the Coast Range. It was named Mission Santa Inés Virgen y Martír, for Saint
Agnes of Rome, a thirteen year-old Roman girl martyred in A.D. 304. It was the 19th mission to be
founded in Alta California.
Most of the original church was
destroyed on December 21, 1812 in an earthquake centered near Santa Barbara
that damaged or destroyed most of California's missions. The quake also
severely damaged other Mission buildings, but the complex was not abandoned. A new church was dedicated on July 4,
1817. During 1814 to 1816, a large adobe
wall was constructed to hold two bells. New bells were cast in Lima, Peru, and
the formal dedication took place on July 4, 1817. The bell wall lasted until
1911 when a huge rainstorm literally melted it. When Father Buckler had it
rebuilt the following year, a third bell arch was added.
On February 21, 1824 a soldier
beat a young Chumash Indian and sparked the Chumash Revolt of 1824. Some of the
Indians went to get the Indians from Missions Santa Barbara and La Purísima to
help in the fight. When the fighting was over, the Indians themselves put out
the fire that had started at the Mission. Many of the Indians left to join
other tribes in the mountains; only a few Indians remained at the Mission.
In 1843, California's Mexican
governor granted 34,499 acres of Santa Ynez Valley land to the first Bishop of
California, who established at the Mission the College of Our Lady of Refuge,
the first seminary in California. The college was abandoned in 1881; by then
the Mission was disintegrating. A family lived there in the 1890s and did some
repairs, but much of the complex collapsed in 1894. The Danish town of Solvang was built up
around the Mission proper beginning in 1911. It was through the efforts of
Father Alexander Buckler in 1904 that reconstruction of the Mission was begun.
Mission Santa Inés has the
largest and most valuable collection of early California church vestments from
the 15th century to 1718, having been the depository for vestments from the
earlier successful Missions in Baja California and Mexico. Many of the more
than 500 silk vestments throughout the California Missions are in fact older
than the Missions themselves. Mission Santa Inés also has a vestment worn by
Father Serra. That the vestments have been so well preserved is a tribute to
the work of Mamie Goulet, the niece of Father Alexander Buckler, who dedicated
20 years to preserving the mission’s art and artifacts.
Learn more about the missions and other great places to
visit along the coast in “Along the King’s Road: A Guide to Touring the
California Missions.” Get your copy today!
No comments:
Post a Comment
You are invited to join the conversation!
Please keep the following in mind when posting your comments:
- You do not need to register to comment
- You may comment anonymously
- You may post questions, and I will do my best to respond in a timely fashion.
- You may disagree. But please do so respectfully.
- I reserve the right to delete inappropriate or rude comments.
- You are the sole owner of your comments.
- You grant me license to publish your comments in another venue, royalty free and without limitations, including in a blog, book, video, or presentation.