San Buenaventura

General Information

Founded:

March 31, 1782 - The 9th California Mission

Current Status:

This is an active Roman Catholic Church of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

Summary:

San Buenaventura was founded on March 31, 1782. Mission San Buenaventura became a parish church after it was secularized in 1836. The high altar and its reredos date to 1818. Mission Buenaventura has a well-landscaped garden, informative displays and a small, inviting museum.

Address

211 East Main Street
Ventura, CA 93001
United States

Get Directions

Directions

From the South - take US-101 to the California Street Exit and turn right onto S. California Street. Take the third (3rd) left onto E. Main Street. The mission will be on the right side of the street.
From the North - On US-101, take the exit toward S. Ventura Avenue, keep let at the fork and merge onto S. Ventura Avenue. Turn right on East Main Street, the mission will be on the left side of the street.

Website(s)

https://sanbuenaventuramission.org

Phone(s)

805-643-4318 - Parish

805-648-4496 - Gift Shop

Fees, Hours, Tours, and Church Services

Please contact the mission directly by telephone or by visiting the mission website for the most current information.

Due to Covid-19 restrictions, it is best to check for current information.

Weddings and Other Special Services

The church invites parishioners and couples from outside Ventura to be married at the mission (at least one of the parties needs to be a practicing Catholic). A number of informational pages are available for download on the mission website. You will find information regarding the wedding coordinator as well as the necessary paperwork to be filled out prior to meeting with the wedding coordinator.

Special Events

This mission has a number of annual events and activities including a May Pilgrimage Process from the Mission garden up to the Cross at Grant Park and San Buenaventura Feast Day. Here is a link to the mission calendar for the most up to date activity schedules.

Unique Attractions

San Buenaventura was never abandoned or closed. It became a parish church after the missions were secularized and has a long history as a religious destination. This mission offers a special experience for Catholics, particularly during one of the special religious events.
The high altar and its reredos originated in Mexico and were installed when the church was dedicated in 1809. The Shrine of the Crucifixion on the left side of the church contains a four hundred (400) year-old bulto.
There is a picturesque side entrance to the church.
This mission is known for its well-tendered gardens. There is a grotto and several exterior displays in the courtyard.
A large display on the mission tour is a mission-era Olive Press.
The San Buenaventura museum (built in 1929) is small and can be crowded, but it pays to be patient. The museum has a rich array of historic objects, mission memorabilia, and displays.
In 2012 the mission established an Archival Center, which houses an extensive collection of documents pertaining to San Buenaventura and its rich history.

Mission San Buenaventura Olive Press Display

Other Historic Attractions

Five remote Channel Islands are right off the Ventura Coast. A visitor center is located at 1901 Spinnaker Drive in Ventura, CA. You can reach the visitor center by telephone 805-658-5730 or by visiting the Channel Islands Visitor Center website.
Nearby Santa Barbara offers the opportunity to visit another mission and the only restored presidio in California.

Tips for Visitors

On the exterior back wall of the church is a memorial to three Franciscans who served at the mission and died there in the 1800's.
There is a road (restricted car access) directly across from the mission that leads towards the US 101 Freeway and the ocean, which is quite close.

San Buenaventura View Front Looking at Ocean

Secularized

1836 - one of the last missions to be secularized.

Year Returned to Catholic Church

1862 - in a Proclamation signed by President Abraham Lincoln.

Patron Saint (Named For)

Saint Bonaventure, a 13th century Franciscan cardinal and renowned philosopher.

Prominent Missionary Leaders

Founding Father President - Fr. Junípero Serra
Founding Missionaries - Fr. Vincente de Santa María and Fr. Francisco Dumetz

Indians Joining Mission

San Buenaventura was located in the land of the Chumash people. After the establishment of the mission, the neophytes were known as Ventureños.

Mission Site

The mission was located near the sizable Indian village of Mitsquanaqa'n with about 500 inhabitants. San Buenaventura is 70 miles north of Los Angeles in the city of Ventura which developed around the mission.

Mission Layout

Traditional quadrangle, which was still standing as late as 1875.

Water Source

A seven mile long earth and masonry zanja or aqueduct brought water from the Ventura River.

Population

The peak years for this mission were 1802-1821. The highest recorded population was 1,328 in 1816. During the mission era there were 1,107 marriages performed at San Buenaventura.

Livestock

In 1816 (the peak year) the mission had over 40,000 animals including 23,400 cattle, 12,144 sheep, and 4,493 horses (one of the largest stable of horses in the mission chain).

San Buenaventura Cattle Brand

Agricultural Output

Over the years 1784-1834, the mission reported harvesting 191,291 bushels of wheat, barley, corn, beans, peas, lentils, garbanzos (chickpeas), and habas (broad beans).

Mission Church

The first church was destroyed by fire in 1792. The second church was dedicated in 1809, and reconstructed in 1816 after an earthquake. The walls are six foot thick near the base.

The church had to be restored after it was "modernized" in 1893. Restoration was completed in 1957.

Mission San Buenaventura Late 19th Century Drawing

Mission Bells

A three-tiered campanario contains five bells originally borrowed from Mission Santa Bárbara. The two oldest bells date from 1781. The bell on the upper level is the newest. It was cast in 1956 in Paris.

Mission Art and Artifacts

The high altar and its reredos originated in Mexico and were installed when the church was dedicated in 1809. The Shrine of the Crucifixion on the left side of the church contains a four hundred (400) year old bulto.

Significant Events

Although the mission was evacuated for a month in 1818 because of the threat of a pirate attack by the Argentine privateer Hippolyte Bouchard, the mission was nonetheless spared.
In the mission era, whaling ships anchored near the mission to replenish their food lockers and trade for cured cattle hides (called Yankee Dollars).

San Buenaventura The Hide Trade by Carl Oscar Borg

Interesting Facts

San Buenaventura was intended to be the third (3rd) mission, but its founding was postponed for thirteen years and so it became the ninth (9th) mission established.
Captain George Vancouver met Fr. Dumetz at the mission in 1793 and named Point Dume, between Point Mugu and Malibu, after the friar.

For Additional Information

Señán, J. (1962) The Letters of José Señán, O.F.M.: Mission San Buenaventura 1796-1823. Ventura County Historical Society.
Weber, F. J. (1977) A History of San Buenaventura Mission.
(Msgr. Webber served as Pastor of San Buenaventura from 1975 to 1981)
Engelhardt, Z. (1930) San Buenaventura, The Mission by the Sea. (The definitive early history of the mission)

Historical Gallery

Mission San Buenaventura was founded in 1782, and its location never changed. The current church (the second on the site) has been restored several times, most recently in 1957 when some "modernizations" were removed.

The Historical Image Gallery contains a number of 19th century drawings and paintings of the mission.