Name/Title
StereographEntry/Object ID
2023.055.3.0403Description
A black and white stereograph. Image is of a person standing on the walkway of a large garden, a multitude of trees, plants and shrubs are seen. Above the image "63" is printed, below the image "V23263 - A Pleasant Retreat From the World - Santa Barbara Mission Garden, Calif." is printed, to the left of the image "Keystone View Company Copyrighted, Underwood & Underwood Manufacturers MADE IN U.S.A. Publishers" is printed, to the right of the image "Meadville, Pa., New York, N. Y., Portland, Oregon, London, Eng., Sydney, Aus." is printed. On the reverse the following is printed:
V23263
SANTA BARBARA MISSION GARDENS, CALIF.
Lat. 34 (Degrees) N.: Long. 120 (Degrees) W.
New Mexico, Texas, Arizona, and California are states well worth visiting because of the old missions found there. Among the most beautiful is the Santa Barbara Mission in lower Caifornia shown in this picture. It is situated on a picturesque elevation overlooking the town and bay. It includes, besides the church, with its twin towers, a dining room and long dormitory, with a colonnade looking out on the garden. Beyond the church is a vineyard still kept by this resident monk and his brethren. Th church itself does not contain any great treasures beyond a few ancient mass books. The historic associations of the mission are even more interesting than the scenery.
Spain, after the discovery of America, was not only a colonizing nation but a religious nation as well. Under her impulse the Catholic church was established over all the Americas. With exploreres and settlers came also the Jesuit and Franciscan monks. In 1630 there were fifty friars at work in New Mexico serving over sicty thousand Christianized natives, who were grouped around twenty-five conventos or missions. Other of the old missions which still remain are the San Xavier mission near Tuscon, Arizona, recently restored by the government, San Jose, and the Alma, near San Antonio, Texas.
This is the most important and the best preserved of the California missions, and the only on in which services have never ceased.
It is of solid brick and stone, with walls six feet thick. The cloisters are paved with bricks one foot square, and are so massive as to resist earthquakes. The traveler passes the reputed residence of Ramona on his way from Los Angeles to this mission.
Copyright by The Keystone View CompanyCollection
Photograph Collection