Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo

Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo
Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo
Façade of capilla (chapel) at
Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo.
Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo is located in Monterey Peninsula
Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo
Location on Monterey Peninsula
Location3080 Rio Road, Carmel-by-the-Sea, California
Coordinates36°32′34″N 121°55′09″W / 36.54278°N 121.91917°W / 36.54278; -121.91917
Name as foundedLa Misión San Carlos Borromeo del Río Carmelo[1]
English translationThe Mission of Saint Charles Borromeo of the Carmel River
PatronSaint Charles Borromeo[2]
Nickname(s)"Father of the Alta California Missions" [3]
Founding dateJune 3, 1770[4]
Founding priest(s)Father Presidente Junípero Serra[5]
Founding OrderSecond[2]
Headquarters of the Alta California Mission System1771–1815; 1819–1824;
1827–1830 [6]
Military districtThird [7]
Native tribe(s)
Spanish name(s)
Esselen, Ohlone
Costeño
Native place name(s)Ekheya[8]
Baptisms3,827[9]
Marriages1,032[9]
Burials2,837[9]
Secularized1834[2]
Returned to the Church1859[2]
Governing bodyRoman Catholic Diocese of Monterey
Current useParish Church/Minor Basilica
Official name: Carmel Mission
DesignatedOctober 15, 1966[10]
Reference no.66000214[10]
DesignatedOctober 9, 1960[11]
Reference no.
  1. 135[12]
Website
http://carmelmission.org

Mission San Carlos Borromeo del Río Carmelo, or Misión de San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo, first built in 1797, is one of the most authentically restored Catholic mission churches in California. Located at the mouth of Carmel Valley, California, it is on the National Register of Historic Places and is a National Historic Landmark.

From 1797 until 1833, Carmel Mission was the headquarters of all Alta California missions. It was headed by Saint Junípero Serra from 1770 until his death in 1784. It was also the seat of the second missions presidente, Father Fermín Francisco de Lasuén, who was in charge of completing nine more mission churches.

In 1833 the mission buildings and lands were secularized by the Mexican government. By the mid-19th century, the Carmel Mission structures had fallen into disrepair. The chapel was saved from total destruction when the roof was rebuilt in 1884.[13][14] In 1886, ownership of the mission was transferred from a group of Franciscans to the Diocese of Monterey. Ever since, Carmel Mission has been a parish within that diocese.

Beginning in 1931, Harry Downie began restoring the mission and worked continuously on the project for the next 50 years. It is the only Spanish mission in California that has its original bell and bell tower.[15] Carmel Mission contains the state's first library.[16]

  1. ^ Leffingwell, p. 113
  2. ^ a b c d Krell, p. 83
  3. ^ Ruscin, p. 25
  4. ^ Yenne, p. 33
  5. ^ Ruscin, p. 196
  6. ^ Yenne, p. 186
  7. ^ Forbes, p. 202
  8. ^ Ruscin, p. 195
  9. ^ a b c Krell, p. 315: as of December 31, 1832; information adapted from Engelhardt's Missions and Missionaries of California.
  10. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  11. ^ NHL Summary Archived 2008-06-21 at the Wayback Machine
  12. ^ "Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo". Office of Historic Preservation, California State Parks. Retrieved November 23, 2012.
  13. ^ Dillon, James (September 4, 1976). "Mission San Carlos De Borromeo Del Rio Carmelo" (pdf). National Register of Historic Places – Inventory Nomination Form. National Park Service. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
  14. ^ "Mission San Carlos De Borromeo Del Rio Carmelo" (pdf). Photographs. National Park Service. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
  15. ^ "News from California Missions Foundation". archive.constantcontact.com. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  16. ^ "Carmel Mission—American Latino Heritage: A Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary". www.nps.gov. Archived from the original on January 29, 2019. Retrieved January 28, 2019.