California Missions – Santa Inés Virgen y Martír
Founded: September 17, 1804 – The Nineteeth of the California Missions
Special Designation: Mission of the Passes
Named For: Saint Agnes of Rome, a thirteen year-old Roman girl martyred in A.D. 304
Also Called: Santa Inés
Mission Site: An inland mission, Santa Inés was established near a rancheria, Alajulspu, in the Santa Inéz Valley and sits on its original site. It is on the eastern edge of the town of Solvang, founded in 1911 by a group of Danish educators. Note that the name of the valley and the town of Santa Inez is spelled with a “z” while the mission is spelled with an “s.”
Layout: Traditional quadrangle and neophyte housing area
Mission Church: The current church, with its plain facade, dates to 1817. The interior was repainted with the current design in 1825, and the nave was recently embellished with additional floral motifs along the whole of its length.
Special Attraction: In 1820 a grist mill fed by Zanja de Cota Creek was constructed about a half mile from the church. The mill system consisted of two large stone reservoirs, a stone mill building wiht a water-propelled horizontal wheel and mill stone, and a network of zanjas or canals. A second (fulling) mill was added at the upper end of the large reservoir in 1821. The mill ruins are now owned by the California State Parks, with long-term plans to provide public access in a new State Park in Solvang.
Current Status: Santa Inés is an active Catholic Church of the Archdioces of Los Angeles.
