Mission Santa Ines
19th
Mission "Mission of the Passes" Founded September
17, 1804 by Father Estevan Tapis
Naming of
Mission:
"Ines " is the
Spanish version of the name "Agnes." Saint Agnes was a
Christian who was killed in Rome in 304AD. There is a town a little
bit south of Solvang called Santa Ynez. The Americans anglicized the
spelling and named the town Santa Ynez rather than Ines or Agnes.
The mission has also been
known as the "The hidden gem of the Missions" due to its
remoteness.
Location:
The mission is in the
Santa Ynez Valley within the city limits of Solvang. It is about 45
miles northwest of Santa Barbara and east of Lompoc in Santa Barbara
County. It is about 150 miles northwest of Los Angeles.
From US 101, take the
Solvang exit at Buellton (SR 246) east 4 miles to Mission Santa
Inés, just beyond downtown Solvang
History:
The Mission was founded on
September 17, 1804 by Father Estevan Tapis. The mission was approved
to better serve the local Chumash Indians and as a link between the
Santa Barbara Mission and La Purisima Conceptcion in Lompoc. The
original church was erected between 1805-1812 but was destroyed by
earthquakes. A new building was dedicated in 1817. Because of its
location off the El Camino Real, the mission had few visitors. When
someone did show up, the bells would ring out and everyone would run
to greet the visitors.
After secularization, even
though people still lived here, the mission grew more and more
deserted and fell into great dis-repair. Even after the missions and
lands were restored to the church, the mission was largely
uninhabited. It wasn't until 1882 when the Donahue family arrived
that repair of the buildings began. Then in 1904, Father Alexander
Buckler came to help along with the help of his niece. In 1924, the
Capuchin Franciscan Friars from Ireland came to the mission and
continued to restore the mission and to create goodwill among the
nearby communities. Major renovation did not really begin until the
Hearst Foundation donated the money to make these repairs. The
restoration has been a on-going project which continues to this day.
The mission is still used
as an active Parish Church with about 1,000 parishioners.
Contact the
Mission:
Mission Santa Ines 1760 Mission Drive P.O.
Box 408 Solvang, CA 93464 Phone: 805-688-4815 Linea en
Espanol: 805-688-6763
Mission Trivia:
Santa
Ines was the last of the southern missions in the chain.
Mission Links
Official Mission
Website for Mission Santa Ines This site has excellent
information and pictures, particularly of the history
Return to the
Footsteps of History California
Missions Trail home page Return to the Footsteps of History
home
page to choose a new Trail to follow This page was
last updated on 28 June 2012 at 12:51 pm
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