Mission Santa Inés is a Christian religious center that was established by Spanish Roman Catholic priests in California. Between 1769 and 1823, Spanish priests started 21 missions as centers for teaching the Indians of California about Christianity. The Franciscan missionary Estévan Tápis founded the mission on Sept. 17, 1804, in what is now Solvang, in the Santa Ynez Valley in California. It was named for Saint Agnes of Rome, a young girl who became a Christian martyr in A.D. 304. Local Chumash Indians helped build the mission and were some of its earliest members. Mission Santa Inés produced grain, leather, soap, wool, and other products for nearby markets. The mission pastureland supported herds of cattle, horses, pigs, and sheep.
On Dec. 21, 1812, earthquakes knocked down several houses and part of the church at Mission Santa Inés. A new, larger church opened in 1817. An Indian uprising damaged several buildings in 1824. In 1833 and 1834, the Mexican government seized and redistributed properties that had belonged to the missions. Mission Santa Inés came under private ownership and fell into disrepair. Restoration efforts began in 1904.
In 1924, the mission was taken over by Irish Capuchins, members of a Franciscan religious community. Their influence is shown in the mission garden by a walkway and hedge in the shape of a Celtic cross, a type of cross common in Ireland that has a ring surrounding the intersection of its arms. The mission museum collection includes early California church manuscripts, paintings, statues, and vestments (ceremonial clothing). Mission Santa Inés was fully restored in 1947, and it remains an active Roman Catholic parish.
