Founded: Dec. 4, 1786
Location: Los Olivos and Garden St., Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara Region: Deanery 2

The "Queen of the Missions" was the tenth church on El Camino Real to be established in California and the first one founded by Franciscan Friar Fermin Lasuen on the feast of St. Barbara, Dec. 4, 1786.

Originally the area was discovered by Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo in 1542 and named Santa Barbara in 1602. That year a Spanish force, led by Sebastian Vizcaíno and accompanied by Carmelite Friars, entered the channel on the vigil of the feast of St. Barbara and named the body of water for her; eventually the title was applied to the presidio, mission, city and county.

Friar Lasuen --- who succeeded Blessed Junípero Serra as president of the missions --- chose the site for Mission Santa Barbara on the top of a rising slope of land that overlooked the channel and valley, offering one of the most striking views of all the missions. The Indians called the area "Tanayan" and the Spaniards named it "Pedregoso"; both mean Rocky Mound.

In its 219 years, the Mission has survived several earthquakes, reconstruction and renovation. The first buildings of the mission were just log cabins with floors of bare earth. By 1795 the mission quadrangle was completed with a tile roof over the chapel, kitchen, residence and granary. The earthquake of 1812 severely damaged the buildings and the padres decided to build with more durable stone. By 1820 a colorful dedication celebrated the new structure that included a single tower that rose to 87 feet. A second tower was added by 1833.

In 1840, Pope Gregory XVI established a hierarchy for California, with Francisco Garcia Diego y Moreno --- a native of Mexico --- named as the first bishop of both Californias. The mission served as the bishop's headquarters and residence from 1841 to his death in 1846; his remains are kept there.

A more severe quake occurred on June 29, 1925 that required two years of reconstruction work to repair the damage, mainly to the two towers, plus a complete renovation of the interior. Careful engineering was required to restore the building, whose repair cost reached $400,000 with half raised by public subscription. The restored mission was then consecrated by Bishop John Cantwell in 1927.

By 1950 further restoration was needed, with the foundations and façade cracking due to a reaction between the alkalies and aggregates in the cement. In three years the rebuilding was completed at a cost of $300,000 and another dedication took place on Dec. 4, 1953 by Cardinal James Francis McIntryre. The towers and façade are now tied to the rest of the church with deep, sturdy foundations of concrete reinforced with steel.

Santa Barbara Mission is unique as the only one administered by the Franciscans from its establishment to today. Its first pastor (named in 1915) was Franciscan Father Dominic Gallardo. Some 20 Franciscan fathers have since headed the mission, among them Father Virgil Cordano, three years as administrator and 15 years as pastor (1979-94).

Among the thousands of visitors who have toured the historic mission are three U.S. presidents (Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt) and British royalty (Queen Elizabeth I and King Albert in 1919, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip in 1983). It is one of the most photographed buildings in the country, but more than its beauty lures visitors; some are drawn by devotion to the mission's patron saint, one of the most popular saints in Christendom even though her story and place in the church calendar are imprecise.

Venerated as a martyr of the third century, St. Barbara is often portrayed as standing by a tower with three windows symbolic of the prison life she endured before professing her faith and then being beheaded. Last December 4, the mission celebrated her feast day by unveiling the restoration of the five-foot statue that adorns the main altar. First brought to the mission in 1791, the statue was carefully restored with the original colors and gold, representing another fitting tribute to the "Queen of the Missions."