Mission La Purísima Concepción, or La Purísima Mission (originally ''La Misión de la Purísima Concepción de la Santísima Virgen María'', or ''The Mission of the Immaculate Conception of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary'') is a Spanish mission in

Lompoc Lompoc ( ; Chumash: ''Lum Poc'') is a city in Santa Barbara County, California. Located on the Central Coast, Lompoc has a population of 43,834 as of July 2021. Lompoc has been inhabited for thousands of years by the Chumash people, who called ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. It was established on December 8, 1787 (the

Feast of the Immaculate Conception The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, also called Immaculate Conception Day, celebrates the sinless lifespan and Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary on 8 December, nine months before the feast of the Nativity of Mary, celebr ...

, hence the mission's name) by the

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...

order. The original mission complex south of Lompoc was destroyed by an

earthquake An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from ...

in 1812, and the mission was rebuilt at its present site a few miles to the northeast. The mission is part of the larger

La Purísima Mission State Historic Park LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figure ...

, part of the

California State Parks The California Department of Parks and Recreation, more commonly known as California State Parks, manages the California state parks system. The system administers 279 separate park units on 1.4 million acres (570,000 hectares), with over 280 ...

system, and along with Mission San Francisco de Solano is one of only two of the Spanish missions in California that is no longer governed by the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. It is currently the only example in California of a complete Spanish Catholic mission complex, and was designated a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

in 1970.

History

Original mission

Mission La Purísima was originally established at a site known to the

Chumash people The Chumash are a Native American people of the central and southern coastal regions of California, in portions of what is now San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles counties, extending from Morro Bay in the north to Mali ...

as Algsacpi and to the Spanish as the plain of Río Santa Rosa, one mile south of Lompoc. (During the mission period, the Chumash spoke the

Purisimeño language Purisimeño was one of the Chumashan languages traditionally spoken along the coastal areas of Southern California near Lompoc. It was also spoken at the La Purisima Mission. A vocabulary of "La Purrissima or Kagimuswas (Purismeno Chumash)" was ...

.) The

Viceroyalty of New Spain New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( es, Virreinato de Nueva España, ), or Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain during the Spanish colonization of the Amer ...

made an exception to the rule that no

California mission The Spanish missions in California ( es, Misiones españolas en California) comprise a series of 21 religious outposts or missions established between 1769 and 1833 in what is now the U.S. state of California. Founded by Catholic priests o ...

was to be established within seven miles of any pueblo in

Las Californias The Californias (Spanish: ''Las Californias''), occasionally known as The Three Californias or Two Californias, are a region of North America spanning the United States and Mexico, consisting of the U.S. state of California and the Mexican sta ...

, as Lompoc was so small. The site was the location of the mission from its founding on December 8, 1787, by

Fermín Lasuén Fermín or Fermin may refer to: * Fermin Fermin (also Firmin, from Latin ''Firminus''; Spanish ''Fermín'') was a legendary holy man and martyr, traditionally venerated as the co-patron saint of Navarre, Spain. His death may be associated with e ...

till it was destroyed by the 1812 Ventura earthquake on December 12, 1812. The original mission was associated with the

Presidio of Santa Barbara A presidio ( en, jail, fortification) was a fortified base established by the Spanish Empire around between 16th and 18th centuries in areas in condition of their control or influence. The presidios of Spanish Philippines in particular, were cen ...

. Fermín Lasuén (1736-1803) was a

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...

Alta California Alta California ('Upper California'), also known as ('New California') among other names, was a province of New Spain, formally established in 1804. Along with the Baja California peninsula, it had previously comprised the province of , but ...

and the president of the Franciscan missions. He was the founder of nine of the twenty-one

Spanish missions in California The Spanish missions in California ( es, Misiones españolas en California) comprise a series of 21 religious outposts or missions established between 1769 and 1833 in what is now the U.S. state of California. Founded by Catholic priests ...

including original Mission La Purísima, the 11th mission. By 1803,the Mission Indian population had increased, by

Indian Reductions Reductions ( es, reducciones, also called ; , pl. ) were settlements created by Spanish rulers and Roman Catholic missionaries in Spanish America and the Spanish East Indies (the Philippines). In Portuguese-speaking Latin America, such re ...

, to 1,436 Chumash people. At the mission there were also 3,230 cattle, 5,400 sheep, 306 horses, and 39 mules. In the same year, there was a harvest of 690 fanegas of wheat, corn and beans (a fanega equaling about 220 pounds). The mission grew from its founding be 330 feet square quadrangle made of

adobe Adobe ( ; ) is a building material made from earth and organic materials. is Spanish for ''mudbrick''. In some English-speaking regions of Spanish heritage, such as the Southwestern United States, the term is used to refer to any kind of e ...

bricks. The original mission had many rooms for the two priests, the evangelized

Chumash Chumash may refer to: *Chumash (Judaism), a Hebrew word for the Pentateuch, used in Judaism *Chumash people, a Native American people of southern California *Chumashan languages, indigenous languages of California See also *Chumash traditional n ...

and for a chapel, six soldiers, married Indians and unmarried females. At its peak about 1,520 Chumash Indian lived at the mission. The original mission was south of the

Santa Ynez River The Santa Ynez River is one of the largest rivers on the Central Coast of California. It is long, ArcExplorer GIS data viewer. flowing from east to west through the Santa Ynez Valley, reaching the Pacific Ocean at Surf, near Vandenberg Space Fo ...

and included vast

crop A crop is a plant that can be grown and harvested extensively for profit or subsistence. When the plants of the same kind are cultivated at one place on a large scale, it is called a crop. Most crops are cultivated in agriculture or hydropon ...

and grazing lands. An earthquake on December 21, 1812, severely damaged the mission buildings. The site became a California State Historical Landmark No. 928 on June 29, 1979. Ruins of the original mission are at 508 South F Street, near East Locust Avenue in

Lompoc, California Lompoc ( ; Chumash: ''Lum Poc'') is a city in Santa Barbara County, California. Located on the Central Coast, Lompoc has a population of 43,834 as of July 2021. Lompoc has been inhabited for thousands of years by the Chumash people, who calle ...

. The California State Historical Landmark reads: :''NO. 928 SITE OF ORIGINAL MISSION AND REMAINING RUINS OF BUILDINGS OF MISSION DE LA PURÍSIMA CONCEPCIÓN DE MARÍA SANTISIMA - The ruins at this site are part of the original Mission La Purísima, founded by Padre Fermín de Lasuén on December 8, 1787, as the 11th in the chain of Spanish Missions in California. The mission was destroyed by earthquake on December 12, 1812, the present Mision (mission) La Purisima was then established several miles away. ''

Second mission

Father Mariano Payeras received permission to relocate the mission community to the northeast in La Cañada de los Berros, next to El Camino Real. La Purísima Mission was officially established in its new location on April 23, 1813. Materials salvaged from the buildings destroyed by the earthquake were used to construct the new buildings four miles northeast of the pueblo at their present location, which was known to the Chumash as Amúu, and to the Spanish as La Cañada de los Berros. The buildings were completed within ten years.

Chumash revolt of 1824

After

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

won the

Mexican War of Independence The Mexican War of Independence ( es, Guerra de Independencia de México, links=no, 16 September 1810 – 27 September 1821) was an armed conflict and political process resulting in Mexico's independence from Spain. It was not a single, co ...

in 1823, Spanish funding ceased to the

Santa Barbara Presidio Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring children gifts during the late evening and overnight ...

. Many soldiers at the mission who were no longer being paid by the new Mexican government took out their frustrations on the local Chumash Indians. After a soldier apparently beat an Indian at nearby

Mission Santa Inés Mission Santa Inés (sometimes spelled Santa Ynez) was a Spanish mission in the present-day city of Solvang, California, and named after St. Agnes of Rome. Founded on September 17, 1804, by Father Estévan Tapís of the Franciscan order, the m ...

, the Chumash revolt of 1824 began at that mission. It spread to La Purísima Mission, where the Chumash people took over the mission for one month until more soldiers arrived from Monterey Presidio. The Chumash lost their hold on the mission with many leaving the mission soon there after. Many of the Indians who had sought refuge in the neighboring mountains during the revolt returned to the mission. La purisima altar

Following independent Mexico's

secularization In sociology, secularization (or secularisation) is the transformation of a society from close identification with religious values and institutions toward non-religious values and secular institutions. The ''secularization thesis'' expresses the ...

of the

missions from 1834 to 1843, the buildings of La Purísima Mission were abandoned. The Mexican government, which had gained independence from Spain, transferred control of the missions from the

to civil authorities. The property passed into private ownership and the mission buildings fell into ruin; the lands were granted Rancho Ex-Mission la Purisima.

20th century

In 1933 the

Union Oil Company Union Oil Company of California, and its holding company Unocal Corporation, together known as Unocal was a major petroleum explorer and marketer in the late 19th century, through the 20th century, and into the early 21st century. It was headqu ...

deeded several parcels to the State of California. By 1934, only nine of the buildings remained intact. In the 20th century, under direction of the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...

, the

Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was a major part of ...

(CCC) pledged to restore the mission if enough land could be provided to convert it into a historic landmark. The

and the

Union Oil Union Oil Company of California, and its holding company Unocal Corporation, together known as Unocal was a major petroleum explorer and marketer in the late 19th century, through the 20th century, and into the early 21st century. It was headqu ...

Company donated sufficient land for the CCC to proceed with the restoration. The nine buildings as well as many small structures and the original water system were fully restored with the mission's dedication occurring on December 7, 1941, the same day the United States entered World War II. Today, La Purísima Mission is the only example in California of a complete mission complex. As of 2011 it was considered to be the most completely restored Spanish mission in California. Ten of the original buildings are fully restored and furnished, including the church, shops, quarters, and blacksmith shop. The mission gardens and livestock represent what would have been found at the mission during the 1820s. Special

living history Living history is an activity that incorporates historical tools, activities and dress into an interactive presentation that seeks to give observers and participants a sense of stepping back in time. Although it does not necessarily seek to ree ...

events are scheduled throughout the year. A visitor center features information, displays and artifacts, and a self-guided tour gives visitors the opportunity to step back in time for a glimpse of a brief, turbulent period in California's history.

La Purísima Mission State Historic Park

La Purísima Mission is now part of the La Purísima Mission State Historic Park within the California State Parks System. Located outside

, the park was established in 1935. With a visitor center and guided tours, the historic park is maintained by the California Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR). La Purísima is located in Lompoc, in the county of Santa Barbara, California. La Purísima Mission State Historic Park was one of many state parks threatened with closure in 2008. Those closures were ultimately avoided by cutting hours and maintenance system-wide.

Historic designations

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

#NPS-78000775 – original La Purisima Mission site. *

#NPS-70000147 – La Purisima Mission State Historic Park. *

California Historical Landmark A California Historical Landmark (CHL) is a building, structure, site, or place in California that has been determined to have statewide historical landmark significance. Criteria Historical significance is determined by meeting at least one of ...

#928 – original La Purisima Mission site. *

Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail The Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail is a trail extending from Nogales on the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona, through the California desert and coastal areas in Southern California and the Central Coast region to San Francisco. ...

– a designated Historic Site on the route of this

United States

National Historic Trail The National Trails System is a series of trails in the United States designated "to promote the preservation of, public access to, travel within, and enjoyment and appreciation of the open-air, outdoor areas and historic resources of the Nati ...

Gallery

File:La Purisima Concepcion circa 1900 Keystone-Mast.jpg, The ruins of Mission La Purísima Concepción, c. 1900. File:Visitor Center at La Purisima Mission State Historical Park.jpg, Visitor Center at La Purisima Mission State Historical Park File:Side view of La Purisima Mission.jpg, Side view of La Purisima Mission File:La Purisima Mission State Historical Park picnic area.jpg, La Purisima Mission State Historical Park picnic area File:Bell Tower of La Purisima Mission.jpg, Bell Tower of La Purisima Mission File:LIBRARY, LA PURISIMA MISSION, CA.jpg, Library

Notes

*''This article contains material from the California Department of Parks and Recreation which, unles
otherwise indicated
is in the

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work A creative work is a manifestation of creative effort including fine artwork (sculpture, paintings, drawing, sketching, performance art), dance, writing (literature), filmmaking, ...

.''

References

* * * * * * * * *

External links

California State Parks: Official La Purísima Mission State Historic Park website

La Purisima Mission.org website

La Purisima Mission tour, admission, and event venue information

Historical Tour of Mission La Purisima (11 minute video by Evva Vail)

Elevation & Site Layout sketches of the Mission proper

The Missions of California
– History and restoration of California's 11th mission
Purisima Mission Early photographs, sketches, land surveys of La Purisima Mission
via Calisphere, California Digital Library
Early History of the California Coast, a National Park Service ''Discover Our Shared Heritage'' Travel Itinerary

Official U.S. National Park Service Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail website
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:La Purisima Mission La Purisima Concepcion Museums in Santa Barbara County, California History museums in California 1787 in Alta California 1787 establishments in Alta California Religious organizations established in 1787 Roman Catholic churches completed in 1812 Civilian Conservation Corps in California History of Santa Barbara County, California California Historical Landmarks National Historic Landmarks in California Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in California Churches in Santa Barbara County, California Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States