Old Mission Santa Barbara (OMSB) is a unique and significant cultural resource in Santa Barbara. Home to a community of Franciscan Friars since its founding in 1786, OMSB is a center of Franciscan heritage in the West and welcomes all who strive to build a future based on reconciliation and justice that honors creation and all people. Thousands of people come to the Mission, which is an educational, cultural, spiritual and civic center. The generosity of donors enables us to continue to serve the broader community as a cultural, historical and spiritual gathering place.
Many different ways to support Old Mission Santa Barbara
Greatest Need
All unrestricted gifts go to the greatest need at Old Mission Santa Barbara. These gifts allow the Mission to conserve these historic buildings, gardens, artifacts, and art collections, as well as provide educational resources and improved access for researchers, educators, students, visitors, and the local community.
La Huerta Revitilization Project
Old Mission Santa Barbara is embarking on re-envisioning an area of Old Mission Santa Barbara called La Huerta. This garden space was previously used to illustrate agriculture at the Mission in the early 19th century with a combination of native plants and species introduced by Spanish missionaries. The new vision for La Huerta would include more emphasis on native plants which will help us better represent our Franciscan value of caring for our common home.
Art and Artifact Conservation
Support an important preservation project! We are restoring a panel of the original lienzo or canvas which comprised the reredos that hung behind the altar of the 1820 Mission church. The reredos can be seen in the photo from 1914 published in Painting and Sculpture at Mission Santa Barbara by art historian Kurt Baer. This lienzo was removed after the 1925 earthquake and the five surviving panels have been stored at the Mission for decades.
There are a total of five panels in need of conservation, costing close to $100,000 for the entire project! We are focusing on one panel at a time to make the project manageable and are currently $3,000 away from raising the funds for this one panel. Once completed the panel will be on display in the Mission museum with the original Mission church altar.
For more information or questions please contact development@sboldmission.org or 805-682-4713 ext. 222.