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Padre Fermín de Lasuén: California’s Second-Greatest Missionary

Detroit Publishing Company
Mission Santa Barbara, the 10th of California’s 21 missions, was founded in 1786 by Padre Fermín de Lasuén. This colorized photo was taken from a postcard published around 1903.

While St. Junípero Serra is widely known as California’s greatest missionary, his successor, Padre Fermín de Lasuén, is largely unknown.