Old Mission Basilica San Buenaventura

History & Significance

Basilica · Est. Founded March 31, 1782 (present church dedicated 1809)

Mission Basilica San Buenaventura was founded on March 31, 1782, by Saint Junípero Serra, who personally dedicated it with a High Mass; it was the ninth of the 21 Spanish missions in Alta California and the last founded during Serra's lifetime. Named for the 13th-century Franciscan Doctor of the Church Saint Bonaventure (San Buenaventura), the mission's present stone church was completed and dedicated on September 9, 1809, surviving damage from the December 8, 1812 earthquake. The mission remains an active Catholic parish in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in downtown Ventura. On June 9, 2020, Pope Francis elevated the church to the status of a minor basilica, with the announcement made public on July 15, 2020, the feast of Saint Bonaventure.

Spanish Colonial / California Mission style, with a stone and adobe church and bell tower

• •Founded March 31, 1782, by St. Junípero Serra
• •Ninth of the 21 Alta California missions and the last founded in Serra's lifetime
• •Present church completed and dedicated September 9, 1809
• •Elevated to minor basilica by Pope Francis on June 9, 2020
• •Active parish in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in Ventura, CA