Stepping into Carmel Mission, history comes alive. You’ll encounter unique treasures like St. Junípero’s cherished Caravaca Cross, a personal reliquary with a fascinating journey. Marvel at the oldest bible in California, a 1568 edition that traveled with Father Serra on his missions. Explore California’s first library, originally stocked by Franciscan missionaries, and see the captivating Our Lady of Bethlehem Chapel, home to the oldest statue of Mary in California. Finally, pay your respects at the final resting place of Saint Junípero Serra and learn the story behind the Serra Reliquary. Stepping into Carmel Mission, history comes alive.
Location: Convento Museum
Significance: This personal reliquary cross, once belonging to Saint Junípero Serra, stands as one of the most significant artifacts of California's colonial missionary history. Serra brought the cross from his birthplace of Mallorca, Spain, to the New World. The artifact gained even greater historical importance when it was discovered resting on Serra's chest during his exhumation in 1943, nearly two centuries after his death.
In 2015, the cross embarked on a remarkable journey to Vatican City, where Pope Francis bestowed his blessing upon it during a general audience. Following this significant event, the revered artifact was returned to Carmel Mission and placed on display in the Convento Museum.
Inspired by Saint Junípero Serra's own mission cross, a new reliquary was commissioned for his canonization. California artists Marirose Jelicich and Rev. Ronald Schmit collaborated to create this exquisite piece: a white metal cross adorned with semi-precious stones and gold-leafed rays. The reliquary incorporates Serra's relics and an image of the Virgin Mary, honoring the saint's devotion. Its reflective surfaces serve as a powerful metaphor, symbolizing God's light and mirroring the faith and holiness of Christians.
On September 23, 2015, in Washington, D.C., the specially crafted reliquary took center stage during the canonization ceremony of Saint Junípero Serra, presided over by Pope Francis. Today, this exquisite piece resides near the altar inside the Carmel Mission Basilica, serving as a testament to Serra's enduring legacy and sainthood.
Location: Carmel Mission Basilica
Significance: Upon his death in 1784, Saint Junípero Serra was laid to rest in the sanctuary of the adobe church he had constructed, alongside his longtime associate, Father Crespi. In 1797, when the permanent stone church was erected, it was deliberately designed to encompass both graves, preserving this hallowed burial site.
The sanctuary later became the final resting place for Serra's successor, Father Fermín Francisco de Lasuén, who was interred to Saint Junípero's right upon his own passing.
Also interred with the three padres is Father Lopez— a young friar who died at the Mission. Father Lopez is also depicted in the Serra Memorial Cenotaph.
On September 17, 1987, Pope John Paul II visited Carmel Mission and paid homage to Saint Junípero Serra by laying flowers on his grave.
The original church floor was packed dirt and had no pews. Both Spanish and Native Americans were buried beneath it. Records indicate 374 burials. After the missions closed, Native Americans continued to bury their dead there, but records are incomplete. We believe there are likely many more people buried under the floor than documented.
Left: the graves of José Antonio Roméu, Spanish governor of California, and Hermenegildo Sal Comandante' of the Presidio, who are buried beneath the church floor.
Location: Convento Museum
Significance: This 1568 edition, printed in Lyon, France, is believed to be the oldest Bible in California. It's thought that Saint Junípero Serra carried this precious volume throughout his arduous missionary journeys, from Loreto to San Diego, then Monterey, and finally to Carmel Mission.
A look at the inside pages of Saint Junípero Serra's Bible.
In a remarkable intersection of colonial and modern California history, Serra's Bible gained additional prominence when Ronald Reagan chose it for his gubernatorial swearing-in ceremony in 1967.
Location: Convento Museum
Significance: California mission libraries served as indispensable resources for daily life, providing not only theological guidance but also practical advice. The "first library" in California was established at Mission Carmel, drawing from the extensive collections of Mexico City's San Fernando Apostolic College, its Mexican missions, and its originally Jesuit Lower California missions. By 1800, the library had grown to 400 books.
The mission's secularization in 1834 led to the dispersal of its valuable library collection. Many volumes were scattered across various locations in Monterey, where they remained for over a century. In 1949, a significant recovery effort led by the Catholic Church and Sir Harry Downie resulted in the retrieval of 229 original titles, reuniting a substantial portion of this historic collection.
Right: close-up of the shelf marks on a book.
The books' fascinating journey is chronicled not only through Father Serra's handwritten inscriptions but also by the various library stamps and bookplates found within their covers. These markings serve as silent witnesses to the volumes' storied past.
Right: top, library stamps; middle, a book plate that reads, Library of the Diocese of Monterey and (Los) Angeles; and bottom, book signatures.
Location: Carmel Mission Basilica/Our Lady of Bethlehem Chapel
Significance: Our Lady of Bethlehem, also known as Nuestra Señora de Belén, is the oldest statue of Mary in California and the second oldest in the United States.
Carved in 15th-century Spain, this life-sized statue accompanied St. Junípero on his journey from Mexico to Monterey in 1769. Interestingly, Our Lady stands at 5 feet, 2 inches tall, mirroring the height of St. Junípero himself.
Right: the Our Lady of Bethlehem statue, the centerpiece of the chapel.
When the Mission was abandoned, the Cantua family became the statue's guardians. Dona Maria Ignacia Dutra, a Cantua family member, enshrined the statue in her Monterey home. Tulita Westfall later inherited the statue, taking it with her to Oakland.
Years later, when Tulita returned to Monterey, Sir Harry Downie, the Mission curator, inquired about the statue. He discovered it packed in a box, in poor condition. Downie borrowed the statue with the intention of repairing it. Upon learning its history, he retained it, believing it too important to return.
Right: the statue prior to Sir Harry Downie's restoration.
Downie meticulously restored the statue, including a carved wooden torso to replace the termite-damaged original.
He kept Mary's hair red however, the new hair was from his mother. He also added his grandmother's gold engagement ring. The locket worn by the infant Jesus belonged to Downie’s mother. The silk background was from China and is said to have been ordered by Father Serra himself.
The original dress was silver embossed silk and estimated to be 250 years old. Downie received the current silver-embroidered dress from a Mexican antiquities dealer—the same age as the original.
Location: Carmel Mission Basilica
Significance: In 1943, Father Serra's remains were exhumed for archaeological and canonical purposes. Unearthed from a redwood coffin, the remains were identified and then placed in a new copper coffin, which was then sealed with canonical markings and reinterred in the original grave. Remnants of the coffin were set aside for safekeeping and were eventually placed in the reliquary.
Left: the bundle of wooden fragments from Father Serra's original coffin that now sit inside the reliquary.
Crafted in 1984 by former curator Richard Menn and Mission custodian Huu Van Nguyen, the Serra Reliquary is a beautiful, gilded wood and glass case. Inside rests a bundle of the redwood coffin fragments, upon an episcopal kneeling pillow that once belonged to Archbishop Jose Sadoc Alemany of the Monterey diocese (1850-1853). Crowning the reliquary is a crest painted in the colors of Majorca’s flag, the Spanish island where Father Serra was born.
Left: the completed reliquary, with the wooden coffin fragments inside.
Father Serra's body has been disinterred on five occasions: 1856 (pictured left), twice in 1882, 1943, and 1987. The final two exhumations were part of the process of elevating him to sainthood.
Location: The Jo Mora Chapel Gallery
Significance: The Cenotaph, a tribute to Saint Junípero Serra, was created by noted sculptor Jo Mora between 1920 and 1924. Commissioned by Father Raymond Mestres, pastor of Carmel Mission, it was intended to serve as a sarcophagus containing Serra's remains within the church. It soon became apparent that the sculpture was too large for the sanctuary. The decision was made to build a small chapel nearby to house the artwork, which then became a cenotaph.
Right: a view of the Serra Memorial Cenotaph.
Mora began by crafting a small plaster model of the monument. Upon receiving Father Mestres' approval, this initial design served as the foundation for a second, full-scale model. After Mestres gave his final approval, Mora sent the figures to New York for casting.
Right: Father Mestres and Jo Mora with the clay model of the monument.
While waiting for the bronze casting to be completed, Mora continued to refine the bas-relief elements adorning the monument's sides.
Right: Father Mestres and Jo Mora discuss the detailing on the monument.
The Serra cenotaph is a masterpiece of craftsmanship, featuring bronze, Hautville marble, and California travertine elements on a 12-foot by 8-foot base. The central sculpture depicts Father Serra lying in repose, dressed in Franciscan attire with a bear cub at his feet, symbolizing California. He is surrounded by three life-size figures: Father Juan Crespi standing at the head, Father Lasuen kneeling on the left, and Father Lopez kneeling on the right.
The Vizcaino-Serra Oak, a majestic California live oak, stood watch near the Monterey coastline. Named after Spanish explorer Sebastián Vizcaíno and Franciscan missionary Junípero Serra, it played a significant role in the region's history.
Left: the remaining limb from the Vizcaino Serra Oak is on display at Carmel Mission.
In 1602, Vizcaíno celebrated Mass under the oak, claiming the land for Spain. A decade and a half later, Serra established Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Monterey, one of the first Spanish missions in California. The oak tree served as a sacred site for the mission community, and Serra is believed to have said Mass beneath its shade.
Left: a painting by Léon Trousset depicting Father Serra celebrating Mass under the Vizcaino Serra Oak.
Despite its historical significance, the Vizcaino-Serra Oak eventually succumbed to age and human intervention. In 1904, the tree was declared dead, and it was either cut down or fell into the bay the following year. Father Mestres, the Missions’s pastor, had the tree's trunk and a few limbs salvaged and preserved with crude oil and creosote. The trunk was replanted on the Mission grounds.
Left: Father Mestres stands beside the preserved trunk of the Vizcaino Serra Oak.
Over time, the preserved tree decayed beyond repair and was removed, leaving only a plaque commemorating its historical importance. All that remains of the storied tree is a lower branch, now on display in Carmel Mission’s Convento Museum.
In 2015, conservation efforts were undertaken to stabilize the branch and prevent further deterioration
Left: the plaque marking the site where the preserved remains of the tree once stood on the grounds of the Mission.
Location: Adjacent to the Carmel Mission Basilica
Significance: The Carmel Mission Cemetery, also known as the Camposanto or "holy field," is a place of historical significance. It is the final resting place for 3-4,000 Native Americans. Due to limited space, multiple burials often occurred in the same spot, and bones were periodically moved every six or seven years.
Right: an overview of the cemetery.
There are many graves marked with abalone shells, a Native American tradition. A plaque on a tree in the cemetery addresses the meaning of the shells:
Abalone Shells
These symbolic grave sites, adorned with abalone shells, represent the many hundreds of indigenous people buried in this graveyard and beyond.
May they be honored, and may we be reminded of their long-term presence, their rich culture and humanity, and the importance that they still hold for their descendants today.
Right: a row of graves marked with abalone shells.
Among the notable graves in the cemetery are those of Msgr. Ramon Mestres, Fr. Michael Murphy, Harry and Mabel Downie, Old Gabriel, Catherine and Joseph Quinn, Lady Maria Antonio Field, and Emilio Odello. Each of these individuals played a significant role in the history of the Carmel Mission and the surrounding community.
Right: the headstone on long-time Mission curator, Harry Downie.
The cemetery is the final resting place of Old Gabriel, arguably the Mission's most famous Native America neophyte. His notoriety stems from his long life. He was supposedly baptized by Father Serra in 1783, when he was in his late twenties.
The age on his headstone is listed as 151 years old, but later research suggests he likely 119 years old.
Gabriel was an expert in laying walls of stone and adobe and functioned as a mason. He helped to make the adobe bricks for building the Carmel Mission as well as the missions at Soledad and San Antonio and he was one of the principal stone cutters for the 1797 church.
Gabriel had 7 wives and married 5 of them in the church. He outlived all of his wives
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