The Lunch Box Journals

The El Camino Real turns inland just north of Santa Barbara, crossing into the middle of the coastal ranges and the Santa Ynez Valley. The Mission Santa Ines was the last of the southern missions to be established and was also built in the familiar quadrangle shape. It sits on a bluff above the Santa Ynez River on the edge of the town of Solvang. Here’s an example of America at its finest as demonstrated in two pictures taken from the same spot on the highway in Solvang. To the left is the north side of the mission, to the right is a street of shops of Solvang.

Your eyes are not deceiving you, that’s a European town right next to the mission. Turns out that in 1911 three Danish immigrants formed the Danish-American Colony Company and purchased nearly 10,000 acres in the Santa Ynez Valley and proceeded to solicit Danes from other parts of America as well as Denmark as potential buyers. People flocked to the area and the town of Solvang (sunny field in Danish) was born. In the late 1940’s the town decided to adopt the Danish architecture for which it is now well known and has emerged as one of the “cutesiest” tourist traps in the West! Block after block of (expensive) specialty stores and restaurants begin immediately to the west of the mission. The windmill can clearly be seen from the mission courtyard. I looked high and low for the “en dollar butik” (the dollar store in Danish) but never found anything close to it, so no Christmas box goodies from here! The juxtaposition of the two cultures is rather striking!

But back to the mission. The earthquake of 1812 did some damage to the mission but it was quickly repaired. The mission, again smaller than those in the L.A. area and further south, has been well maintained over the years.

The picture below is taken from just inside the main entrance (the arched doorway in the picture above). It does a good job of showing the dimensions of the church, again the narrow width dictated by the height of the trees available for use as rafters.

The picture above is facing west, as I turn around and face east I see the choir loft and the main entrance to the church (the arched doorway to the left of the bell tower).

This small mission is built around a central plaza that serves as the center of this working parish. The church on the north, front building on the east, small buildings not open to the public on the south and walls on the west enclose the lawn and gardens. In this picture the church is on the left and the center is the east building that corresponds to the row of arches on the main front picture.

Also note the threatening skies – my luck at staying ahead of the store is rapidly running out! After leaving Solvang I headed west to the Lompoc area, site of the only mission that is now a California State Park, La Purissima.

The original site of La Purissima met all of the criteria that the Spanish missionaries were looking for: a peaceful native population; large, open valley for agriculture and livestock; and a source for water and wood. The missions was established in 1787 in what is now the center of the town of Lompoc. The 1812 earthquake destroyed the mission. The fathers chose to move the mission 4 miles to the east to a more sheltered location closer to El Camino Real. Building commenced on the present structures in 1813. This mission is unique in that it is a state park and is not a functioning parish. Consequently the condition of the buildings is not good and there is more of an effort to explain the functioning of the “business” of the mission rather than preservation of historical relics.

La Purissima is unique in that it was not designed in the typical quadrangle patter but rather consist of three large buildings in a line. From left to right is the church with the pink bell tower, the workshops and worker quarters building (columned structure in the middle), and finally the actual residence of the fathers (taller building in the rear). The mission was not resurrected in the late 1800’s and the site deteriorated until the Catholic Church deeded the site to the state of California for a state park in 1934. The CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) immediately began the restoration and most of what is seen today is based upon their efforts.

The sign on the wall says “This sacristy chest was made in 1799. It is in fragile condition and we ask you not to handle it.” And that’s it; otherwise it’s sitting out in a small room with a couple of benches. The doorway to the right of the chest looks into the main church. I know that California is broke, but the lack of effort to maintain this historical site and the few objects on display is remarkable.

Fortunately the dry climate has helped preserve the frescoes that decorate the walls of the church. This is not a working parish and there are a few benches along the walls of the church, otherwise it is empty…

The grounds of the mission are in their natural state. Here’s a photo of the workshop and priest residence from across the fields.

It’s time to hunker down for the first (smaller) of the two rain storms set to hit the central coast. Then we’re continuing the northern pilgrimage through the coastal range.

Next stop: San Luis Obispo.

Vol. 1, Chapter 8-Santa Ines