 The Church of Saint John the Baptist, erected on the site of the original Santa Ysabel Asistencia in 1924. | |
  Location in California | |
| Location | Santa Ysabel, California |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 33°7′49″N 116°40′41″W / 33.13028°N 116.67806°W |
| Name as founded | Asistencia de la Misión San Diego de Alcalá [1] |
| English translation | Sub-Mission of the Mission San Diego de Alcalá |
| Patron | Saint Elizabeth (Isabel), Queen of Portugal |
| Nickname(s) | "Church of the Desert" [1] |
| Founding date | September 20, 1818 [1] |
| Founding priest(s) | Father Fernando Martín [1] |
| Military district | First |
| Native tribe(s) Spanish name(s) | Kumeyaay (Ipai), Payomkowishum Diegueño, Luiseño |
| Native place name(s) | Elcuanan [2] |
| Governing body | Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego |
| Current use | Chapel / Museum |
| Reference no. | #369 |
The Santa Ysabel Asistencia was founded on September 20, 1818, at Cañada de Santa Ysabel in the mountains east of San Diego (near the village of Elcuanan), as a asistencia or "sub-mission" to Mission San Diego de Alcalá, and to serve as a rest stop for those travelling between San Diego and Sonora. The native population of approximately 450 neophytes consisted of both Luiseño and Diegueño peoples. Based on historical records, Santa Ysabel enjoyed a higher-than-average conversion rate when compared to the other California missions. Given its remote location, the facility was visited infrequently by the padres after secularization of the missions in the 1830s.