Mission Santa Barbara's name comes from the legend of Saint Barbara, a girl who was beheaded by her father for following the Christian Faith.
The early missionaries built three different chapels during the first few years, each larger than the previous one.
It was only after the Santa Barbara earthquake on December 21, 1812, which destroyed the existing buildings, that the construction on the current Mission was begun.
It was completed and then dedicated in 1820.
The towers were considerably damaged in the June 29, 1925 earthquake, but were subsequently rebuilt by 1927.
The appearance of the inside of the church has not been altered significantly since 1820.

Many elements of the Mission's extensive water treatment system, all built by Chumash Indians' labor under the direction of the Franciscans (including aqueducts, two reservoirs, a filter house, and a hydro-powered gristmill) remain to this day.
 The larger reservoir, which was built in 1806 by the expedient of damming a canyon, had been a functioning component of the City's water system until 1993.
 The original fountain and lavadero are also intact near the entrance to the Mission.
 A dam constructed in 1807 is situated in the current Santa Barbara Botanic Garden up "Mission Canyon".
 The ruins of the Mission's tanning vats, pottery kiln, aqueduct system, and guard house are located on the abutting land in the municipally-owned Mission Historical Park that was sold to the City in 1928.

In 1818, two Argentine ships under the command of the French privateer Hipólito Bouchard approached the coast and threatened the young town of Santa Barbara.
The padres armed and trained 150 of the neophytes to prepare for attack.
With their help, the Presidio soldiers confronted Bouchard, who sailed out of the harbor without attacking.

After the Mexican Congress passed An Act for the Secularization of the Missions of California on August 17, 1833 Father Presidente Narciso Durán transferred the missions' headquarters to Santa Barbara, thereby making Mission Santa Barbara the repository of some 3,000 original documents that had been scattered through the California missions.

The Santa Barbara Mission-Archive Library is now an independent non-profit educational and research institution that is separate from Mission Santa Barbara, but occupying a portion of the mission building complex.
Some Franciscans serve on the Board of Trustees along with scholars and community members; the institution is directed by a lay academic scholar.
It is the oldest library in the State of California that still remains in the hands of its founders, the Franciscans.
Beginning with the writings of Hubert Howe Bancroft, the library has served as a center for historical study of the missions for more than a century.
The collections of the Santa Barbara Mission-Archive Library had their inception in the 1760s with Fray Junipero Serra's plans for missions in Alta California.
 The collections include named sections, the Junipero Serra Collection (1713–1947), the California Mission Documents (1640–1853), and the Apostolic College collection (1853–1885).
 The archive-library also has a large collection of early California writings, maps, and images as well as a collection of materials for the Tohono O'oodham Indians of Arizona.

In 1840, Alta California and Baja California Territory were removed from the Diocese of Sonora to form the Diocese of Both Californias.
Bishop Francisco Garcia Diego y Moreno, OFM, established his cathedra at Mission Santa Barbara, making the chapel the pro-cathedral of the diocese until 1849.
Under Bishop Thaddeus Amat y Brusi, C.M., the chapel again served as a pro-cathedral, for the Diocese of Monterey and then the Diocese of Monterey-Los Angeles, from 1853 to 1876.
It is for this reason that of all the California missions, only the chapel at Mission Santa Barbara has two matching bell towers.
At that time, that particular architectural feature was restricted to a cathedral church.

When President Abraham Lincoln restored the missions to the Catholic Church on March 18, 1865, the Mission's
Mission Santa Barbara's name comes from the legend of Saint Barbara, a girl who was beheaded by her father for following the Christian Faith. The early missionaries built three different chapels during the first few years, each larger than the previous one. It was only after the Santa Barbara earthquake on December 21, 1812, which destroyed the existing buildings, that the construction on the current Mission was begun. It was completed and then dedicated in 1820. The towers were considerably damaged in the June 29, 1925 earthquake, but were subsequently rebuilt by 1927. The appearance of the inside of the church has not been altered significantly since 1820.
Many elements of the Mission's extensive water treatment system, all built by Chumash Indians' labor under the direction of the Franciscans (including aqueducts, two reservoirs, a filter house, and a hydro-powered gristmill) remain to this day.  The larger reservoir, which was built in 1806 by the expedient of damming a canyon, had been a functioning component of the City's water system until 1993.  The original fountain and lavadero are also intact near the entrance to the Mission.  A dam constructed in 1807 is situated in the current Santa Barbara Botanic Garden up "Mission Canyon".  The ruins of the Mission's tanning vats, pottery kiln, aqueduct system, and guard house are located on the abutting land in the municipally-owned Mission Historical Park that was sold to the City in 1928.
In 1818, two Argentine ships under the command of the French privateer Hipólito Bouchard approached the coast and threatened the young town of Santa Barbara. The padres armed and trained 150 of the neophytes to prepare for attack. With their help, the Presidio soldiers confronted Bouchard, who sailed out of the harbor without attacking.
After the Mexican Congress passed An Act for the Secularization of the Missions of California on August 17, 1833 Father Presidente Narciso Durán transferred the missions' headquarters to Santa Barbara, thereby making Mission Santa Barbara the repository of some 3,000 original documents that had been scattered through the California missions.
The Santa Barbara Mission-Archive Library is now an independent non-profit educational and research institution that is separate from Mission Santa Barbara, but occupying a portion of the mission building complex. Some Franciscans serve on the Board of Trustees along with scholars and community members; the institution is directed by a lay academic scholar. It is the oldest library in the State of California that still remains in the hands of its founders, the Franciscans. Beginning with the writings of Hubert Howe Bancroft, the library has served as a center for historical study of the missions for more than a century. The collections of the Santa Barbara Mission-Archive Library had their inception in the 1760s with Fray Junipero Serra's plans for missions in Alta California.  The collections include named sections, the Junipero Serra Collection (1713–1947), the California Mission Documents (1640–1853), and the Apostolic College collection (1853–1885).  The archive-library also has a large collection of early California writings, maps, and images as well as a collection of materials for the Tohono O'oodham Indians of Arizona.
In 1840, Alta California and Baja California Territory were removed from the Diocese of Sonora to form the Diocese of Both Californias. Bishop Francisco Garcia Diego y Moreno, OFM, established his cathedra at Mission Santa Barbara, making the chapel the pro-cathedral of the diocese until 1849. Under Bishop Thaddeus Amat y Brusi, C.M., the chapel again served as a pro-cathedral, for the Diocese of Monterey and then the Diocese of Monterey-Los Angeles, from 1853 to 1876. It is for this reason that of all the California missions, only the chapel at Mission Santa Barbara has two matching bell towers. At that time, that particular architectural feature was restricted to a cathedral church.
When President Abraham Lincoln restored the missions to the Catholic Church on March 18, 1865, the Mission's 
Mission Santa Barbara