Mission Santa Barbara, also known as Santa Barbara Mission, is a Spanish mission founded by the Franciscan order near present-day Santa Barbara, California. It was founded by Padre Fermín Lasuén on December 4, 1786, the feast day of Saint Barbara, as the tenth mission for the religious conversion of the indigenous local Chumash-Barbareño tribe of Native American people. read more
Mission Santa Barbara became an apostolic college. Rome divided California ecclesiastically, creating an Archdiocese at San Francisco. (Geiger 1965). 1854 : The College of Our Lady of Sorrows (new location of the apostolic college) was established in Santa Barbara at State and Figueroa Streets. A new adobe church was dedicated the following year. read more