La Misión de la Purísima Concepción de la Santísima Virgen María

Mission La Purísima Concepción is part of the La Purísima Mission State Historic Park, and a real must see for anyone interested in the workings of a historical Spanish mission. The site is also significant as a center of the 1824 Chumash revolt.

The current mission is located about 4 miles northeast of the original site of the 11th California mission, which was destroyed in an earthquake in 1812. A marker stone at the end of a suburban cul-de-sac indicates the site of the old mission, but the only remains are a couple of ruined walls.

The relocated mission was unique in that the buildings were laid out in straight lines instead of in the typical quadrangle used for all the other missions.

The mission was secularized in 1834, and after a few decades, the only structure left standing seems to have been the mission residence building.

A full restoration of the mission was taken up by the National Park Service and the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1935, but I'm not sure how the La Purísima Advisory Committee came up with the architectural design used for reconstructing the mission.

CCC restoration of the old church building.

Mission residence building, 1904

The area in front of the mission has a number of corrals for cattle, swine, and sheep. Several wooden ox carts are also on display on the grounds.

La caretta

Entryway to the cemetary

The old church

Wool from the sheep in the corrals were spun into thread and then woven into cloth.

The room of the master weaver
looks like it's straight out of the
Rumplestiltskin fairy tale

Olive oil was also produced at the mission.

Olive trees

Olive mill

Olive press

Kitchen of the Mayordomo

Apartment for a soldier

Barracks

Indoor stove

Outdoor cooking area

Community kitchen

The mission residence building includes quarters for the padres, offices, a chapel, wine cellar, and various workshops.

Hide racks

Leather shop

El baño

Tallow vats

Pottery workshop

Pottery kiln

There were actually a number of other buildings that I didn't see since I didn't really look at the park map beforehand, but Mission La Purísima is definitely worth another visit.

Misión de Santa Bárbara y Misión San Buenaventura

I went up to UCSB over the weekend to help out during move-out day, and stopped by a couple of the California Missions on the drive back home.

Obviously the first mission that I went to was Mission Santa Barbara. The mission is located in a picturesque neighborhood where many homes sit behind Mission Revival style sandstone walls or tall hedges.

At the front of the mission is a large lawn on which are a crucifix and a lavanderia.

Lavanderia water spout

Lavanderia

Just in front of the mission is a Moorish fountain, and the ubiquitous bell marker that can be seen all along the historic El Camino Real.

Moorish fountain

Bell marker

Wood structure of arcade

Arcade doorway

Mission church after 1925 earthquake.

Behind the church to the northeast is the mission cemetary, where the Lone Woman of San Nicolas Island was buried in an unmarked grave. The novel Island of the Blue Dolphins was based was upon her story.

The other mission I visited was Mission San Buenaventura. This modest mission is located at one end of the old Main St. area in downtown Ventura.

1912

The mission is fully modernized, and the grounds are now sites of both the parish school and church.

Heading east on Main St. is a promenade area open only to pedestrian and bicycle traffic. The streets are lined with cafés, restaraunts, brew pubs, thrift stores, antique shops, book stores, and many other specialty shops.

The Beaux-Arts style Bank of Italy Building is now home to a cocktail bar and a restaurant.

The First National Bank Building is noted as the location where Erle Stanley Gardner, author of the Perry Mason series, dictated his novels from his third floor law office. The bottom floor is currently a restaurant, while the upstairs are still professional offices.

Street art around downtown Ventura.