Copyright © 2010 Deborah M. Zajac. All Rights Reserved.

I took US 101 down to southern CA to visit my son. This route is the Historic El Camino Real, and the Mission trail. I visited 4 missions between June 25 and 28th. This is the first of my Mission stops.
To see my entire set of 11 photos of this mission follow this link:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dmzajac2004/sets/72157624415574456/

History
Old Mission Santa Barbara. The Santa Barbara Mission was the tenth of the California Missions to be founded by the Spanish Franciscans. It was established on the Feast of St. Barbara, December 4, 1786.

Padre Junipero Serra, who had founded the first nine Missions, had died 2 years earlier. It was Padre Fermin Francisco de Lasuen, his successor, who raised the cross and made the first converts.

The original buildings were unpretentious and made of adobe. Over time three adobe churches were constructed on the grounds, each larger than the one before until the fourth and present church was built in 1820. The third was destroyed by earthquake in 1812. The fountain in front was built in 1808.