Mission Santa Ines

My report is on Mission Santa Ines which is 35 miles north of Santa Barbara among the rolling hills near the Santa Ynez River. The mission was established September 17, 1804 by Father Estevan Tapis as the 19th mission along El Camino Real.

In the early 1700's, the country of Spain sent many explorers to the western world to claim land and find riches. When California was founded by several Spanish explorers, like Cabrillo, and De Anza, Spain decided to send missionaries to build missions. There are a total of 21 missions built in California. Mission Santa Ines was the 19th mission and was built to share the European God with the Indians and how to eat and dress like Europeans. Father Tapis wanted to make the Indians Christians and civilize them as well as keep and claim land for Spain. The missions were built near harbors, bays or rivers so the towns could grow the needed crops to survive, and to bring more Europeans, and show the Indians more European ways. The Indians built the missions under the supervision of the padres along El Camino Real, the Royal Road, where there was a water supply for the mission gardens and crops. The first mission built along El Camino Real was built in 1769, and the mission period lasted 54 years with the last mission built in 1823.

My mission is named after St. Agnes who was put into a fire, and then beheaded when she was 12 years old. When Agnes refused to offer incense to the pagan idols, the Chumash Indians put Agnes into a fire but she remained untouched by the flames. Since the flames did not kill her, she was then beheaded. On her feast day on the 21st of January, two lambs are blessed and their wool is used to make the palliums (which are bands of white wool which the pope gives to the archbishops as symbol of their authority over the new archbishop) of the year. A large painting of St. Agnes is at Santa Ines Mission carrying a lamb, a palm and a lily which was painted by Andres Lopez and restored in 1953. One padre kept a journal of the founding of the mission. He also kept a list of supplies that were used at the mission as well as the climate which is Mediterranean (hot and dry) in the summer and mild and rainy in the winter.