The Santa Barbara Mission is a Spanish mission founded by Franciscan friars near the present-day city of Santa Barbara, California, United States.
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Known as the “Queen of Missions”, Mission Santa Barbara was founded on December 4, 1786 by Father Fermín Francisco de Lasuén, four years after the founding of the fortress (el Presidio) which was at the origin of the city of Santa Barbara in California. As a center for Franciscans, the Mission played an important role in education. From 1854 to 1885 it was chartered as the Apostolic College, and from 1869 to 1877 it also functioned as a men’s college.
Mission Santa Barbara today continues to serve the community as a parish church. In addition to being used as a place of worship, it contains a gift shop, a museum, a Franciscan monastery and a holiday home. The mission grounds are a major tourist attraction in Santa Barbara.
Access : Coordinates: / Location : 2201 Laguna St. Santa Barbara, California 93105
Highlights :
- The mission is today a Roman Catholic church owned and operated by the Franciscans of the Santa Barbara Province.
- The 3,000 original documents deposited in 1833 at the mission at the time of secularization constitute the basis of the Santa Barbara Mission-Archive Library.
- The mission also has the oldest continuous tradition of choral singing of any California mission and, indeed, of any California institution.
Go next : Burton Mound , a California Historical Landmark located in Santa Barbara / Hill–Carrillo Adobe , a historic structure in Santa Barbara.
