Mission Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, circa 1920

About this postcard

View of the twin-towered white adobe church of Mission Santa Barbara, with its red tile roof, arched arcade along the left wing, and a fountain in the foreground plaza where a robed figure walks. Founded in 1786 by Franciscan friars, it is the tenth of the California missions and is known as the 'Queen of the Missions'; the present neoclassical church with its two matching towers was rebuilt after an 1812 earthquake and completed in 1820. The mission remains an active parish and Franciscan friary above the city of Santa Barbara.