Adventure 49/101, Mission 14 - Mission Santa Ines

Capture California, the Game-2012

Adventure: 101 - 14 : Mission Santa Ines

Team: Thing One, Thing Two

Date:  August 16, 2012

Location: Solvang

Description:

When we got to Solvang after coming in from Santa Barbara, we were looking for a place to stay as well as a chance to look at Mission Santa Ines. This was the mission which we looked at last year:

Item: 49 - Mission Santa Ines
Team: Tired 'Tirees
Date:  Sept 2, 2011
Link: Sherri and the Mission: https://picasaweb.google.com/100772251266580984847/CaptureCaliforniaFlag?authkey=Gv1sRgCMzpz4Ts59_mTg#5648222528645457698
         National Park Service Plaque:  https://picasaweb.google.com/100772251266580984847/CaptureCaliforniaFlag?authkey=Gv1sRgCMzpz4Ts59_mTg#5648222527805594002
Desc: Mission Santa Ines is in Solvang and still is an active Catholic church. In fact, while we were there, a private ceremony was being performed. The mission was established in 1804, a few years after Father SIerra's death.  The mission was named after Saint Agnes, an early Roman martyr who was known for her pure heart.

And like last year, there was an event this year—may have also been a wedding, just like last year. But we could see some of the features of the mission. Such as the rich farmland valley which the mission over looks. Or the calm beauty of the bell tower against the surrounding trees and grass area. All of these makes this mission an ideal place for gatherings, such as weddings.

We looked over the area for about 20 minutes, then rejoined our parents, ready to find a place to stay. We actually found a place, maybe 200 yards from the mission. Then took a walk through downtown Solvang. A good way to end our time at this mission and our day of missions.

From Wikipedia site:

The Mission was home to the first learning institution in Alta California[5] and today serves as a museum as well as a parish church of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

Highwayman Jack Powers briefly took over Mission Santa Inés and the adjacent Rancho San Marcos in 1853, intending to rustle the cattle belonging to rancher Nicolas A. Den, but he was defeated in a bloodless armed confrontation. He was not to be ousted from the Santa Barbara area until 1855.

The Danish town of Solvang was built up around the Mission proper in the early 1900s. It was through the efforts of Father Alexander Buckler in 1904 that reconstruction of the Mission was undertaken, though major restoration was not possible until 1947 when the Hearst Foundation donated money to pay the for project. The restoration continues to this day, and the Capuchin Franciscan Fathers take excellent care of the Mission. Today the Mission is an active parish; there is also a museum, gift shop and information center.

From California Missions Resource Center site:
Mission Art: The mission is known for its extensive collection of church vestments, which date from the 17th century through 20th century and includes a Chasuble worn by Fr. Junipero Serra and a 17th century cape crafted in materials from the Court of Louis XIV of France. The impressive mission museum includes a painting of the Archangel Raphael rendered on canvas by an Inézeño or neophyte convert of Santa Inés
Significant Event(s): The largest Indian uprising in the mission era began at Santa Inés in 1824, triggered by the excessive beating of a neophyte by a soldier.

Interesting Facts: 

The mission served a buffer against a hostile Indian group, the Tulares, who occcupied the region to the northeast.
Santa Inés was never totally abandoned after secularization, and California's first seminary / college, Our Lady of Refuge, was built in 1844 on the mission grounds.
The mission companario collapsed in 1911 and was rebuilt with five bells. It was finally restored to its original design in 1947.
Mamie Goulet, the neice of Father Alexander Buckler, devoted twenty years (1904-1924) to the restoration of the vestments of Santa Inés.

From California State Parks site:

Named for a 13 year-old Roman martyr, St. Agnes, who refused to sacrafice to the pagan gods in 304 AD, Santa Ines was dedicated in 1804 by Father Estevan Tapis. Amazingly, it survived the numerous earthquakes. The museum contains a notable collection of vestments, church records and missals, and the church displays some of the original decorations on a wall behind the altar. A historic grape arbor shelters a walkway that transports the visitor back in time, emerging in the lovely gardens that appear today much as they did nearly 200 years ago.
1760 Mission Dr., Solvang, 93464, (805) 688-4815