May 6, 2020
La Purisima Mission.
La Purisima Mission is different in several ways from the other missions in southern California. First, it's in a rural setting about 4 miles northeast of Lompoc California. Second, it's one of 2 of the 21 Spanish missions that is not still owned and operated by the Catholic church being instead a State Historical Park. Third, given it's status as a historical park as opposed to a working church and it's rural location and size, it recreates mission life of the early 1800's with livestock(cows, horses, burros, and pigs) and less manicured though maintained landscape. La Purisima was founded in 1787, originally a mile south of Lompoc(now the southern end of F Street with some ruins remaining) and moved here in the early 1800's after an earthquake destroyed the original mission. This earthquake occurred on December 21, 1812 also destroyed the chapel at Mission Santa Barbara though was separate from the earthquake earlier in the month(December 8) that destroyed the Great Stone Church at San Juan Capistrano and the bell tower at Mission San Gabriel. The mission fell into disrepair after the missions were secularized in the 1830's. Archaeological digs and restoration were undertaken in the 1930's with most of the construction being done by the CCC. Many of the other missions have portions that are not open to the public, so rooms may have been re repurposed for church business.
This may have been the first mission that I visited, but I would have been about 4 years old, so my recollections are a bit vague.
Read MoreLa Purisima Mission is different in several ways from the other missions in southern California. First, it's in a rural setting about 4 miles northeast of Lompoc California. Second, it's one of 2 of the 21 Spanish missions that is not still owned and operated by the Catholic church being instead a State Historical Park. Third, given it's status as a historical park as opposed to a working church and it's rural location and size, it recreates mission life of the early 1800's with livestock(cows, horses, burros, and pigs) and less manicured though maintained landscape. La Purisima was founded in 1787, originally a mile south of Lompoc(now the southern end of F Street with some ruins remaining) and moved here in the early 1800's after an earthquake destroyed the original mission. This earthquake occurred on December 21, 1812 also destroyed the chapel at Mission Santa Barbara though was separate from the earthquake earlier in the month(December 8) that destroyed the Great Stone Church at San Juan Capistrano and the bell tower at Mission San Gabriel. The mission fell into disrepair after the missions were secularized in the 1830's. Archaeological digs and restoration were undertaken in the 1930's with most of the construction being done by the CCC. Many of the other missions have portions that are not open to the public, so rooms may have been re repurposed for church business.
This may have been the first mission that I visited, but I would have been about 4 years old, so my recollections are a bit vague.
