Saint Barbara | Saying nothing in particular

There are 21 missions in the state of California and most of them have the reputation for being haunted. By faceless monks primarily.

As an interesting aside, Santa Barbara was named for Saint Barbara who was beheaded by her father for her Christian faith. But, soon after that deadly deed, he was struck by lightening making her the guardian saint of firearms. And lightening of course.

The mission in Santa Barbara is called the Queen of the Missions probably because it’s one of the biggest missions that I’ve seen. It’s on a slope above the city, surrounded by gardens. At one time it must have had a magnificent view of the Pacific Ocean.

We were there at the end of day as the sun was going down and the kiddos needed food … yet again. I only had time for a quick look around.

These people insisted on being in the picture. I don’t know why. The mournful miss of my earlier post is the statue on the roof to the left. Can you see her? Perhaps she’s St. Barbara. Don’t know who was on the right.

A month before our arrival, the festival of i Madonnari had taken part in the large plaza in front of mission. Several pieces were still intact.

I could have stayed and taken pictures forever of the incredible art work but the growling beasts demanded to be fed. Yet … again. Here’s a delightful video with more information about the festival. Enjoy!