Santa Ysabel Mission "church of the Desert"
By Amber Ward

Statues of the Virgin Mary are found throughout the grounds. Photo By Amber Ward

The Mission at Santa Ysabel was actually founded as an asistencia, or sub-mission, to the Mission San Diego de Alcala in 1818.

The Mission San Diego was the first of 21 missions to be built between 1769-1823 in California. Missions like San Diego de Alcala served large areas, and would branch out into asistencias in order to serve the missionaries and neophytes (natives in the conversion process) that were living outside the original mission complex. The Santa Ysabel Asistencia was formed as a means of serving the people that were unable to commute the 60 miles to San Diego.

The site at Elcuanam, the original village name for Santa Ysabel, was first visited in 1795 by Father Juan Mariner.

Twenty years later, the mission fathers of San Diego requested permission from the Spanish governor to establish the asistencia to Mission San Diego. There have been several dates associated with Santa Ysabel's founding, but it has been agreed upon that it was Sept. 20, 1818 when Father Fernando Martin consecrated the grounds and named it La Canada de Santa Ysabel.

Inside of the chapel. Photo By Jamey Ritter

A temporary structure was erected for worship and Father Martin intended this "Church of the Desert" to also serve as a resting point for those traveling between San Diego and the Sonora Desert of Mexico.

The Santa Ysabel population of approximately 450 natives consisted of both Digueno and Luiseno (Kumeyaay) people. According to historical records, the asistencia enjoyed a higher conversion rate than most California missions. This is surprising because the asistencia was rarely visited by traveling fathers, and especially left alone after the 1830s when California missions were secularized, meaning the mission lands were to be turned over to the native people.

By 1822, a thriving community had been established. The asistencia consisted of a chapel, a granary, several adobe houses and a cemetery. Erosion of the foundation of the chapel was first noted in 1836, and by 1846 the chapel was in ruins along with several of the original adobe homes.

Photo By Jamey Ritter

A temporary brush shelter, or ramada, was set up so worship could continue in lieu of the collapsing structures and also to demonstrate to visiting fathers that the asistencia was still active. By 1899, only the outlines of the church remained. It was not until 1924 when Father Edmund LaPointe, a French-Canadian missionary built the Mission Revival Style chapel, the church on the site today, on top of the original adobe site.

The most notable story behind the Santa Ysabel asistencia is the "Mystery of the Lost Bells." In 1846, two bells, the oldest in Alta California, were purchased from Mision Nuestra Senora de Loreto Concho (Our Lady of Loreto) in Loreto, Baja California Sur, Mexico. The bells were purchased in exchange for six burro loads of barley and wheat. One of the bells dated 1723, and the other 1767. When the asistencia began to deteriorate in the 1830s the bells were hoisted onto a yoke. One summer night in 1926, the bells disappeared and were apparently stolen. A local had found the clappers, or bell ringers, but the actual bells were never retrieved. The clappers were returned to the asistencia in 1959 to be displayed in their museum, and apparently in 1966 a remnant of one of the bells was discovered, but how and where no one knows.

In 1933, a local molder, Ed Schwaesdall, and his son, John, struck a new bell and donated it to Santa Ysabel in honor of its 175th anniversary. This is the bell seen in front of the asistencia, or mission today.

Located 1.4 miles north of the town of Santa Ysabel (79/78 intersection), the chapel sits on the east side of the road. There are three structures and a cemetery. The fourth, smallest building to the south of these three houses the gift shop. There is a California Registered Historical Landmark sign on the chapel, and between the museum and the chapel sits a statue dedicated to finding the original bells.

Mission Santa Ysabel and the Padre's Gift Shop are open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. This is a very active facility with Masses held Saturdays at 4 p.m., Sunday at 9 a.m., and holy days at 6 p.m. For more information, contact the mission at 760-765-0810.