Our Trip to Big Sur - Part 2

Mission Possible

Its official name is San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo Mission but that is much harder to remember than The Carmel Mission, which is how most people refer to it.  Some of the people in our group went fishing, the rest of us took a break from camp life a drove the 27 miles to Carmel.  Our mission was not see the mission.  See what I did there?  We had other adventures in mind but somehow ended up here at this beautiful, historic and spiritual monument.  I am really glad we did.  

Established in 1771 under the leadership of Father Junipero Serra, the Carmel Mission is the second oldest mission in California.
It served as the headquarters for Fr. Serra and all the missions and from here he oversaw the building of seven other mission in California.  After Fr. Serra's death, Fr. Fermin Lasuen continued the work.  It was Fr. Lasuen who built the stone church we see today that replaced the original adobe church.  It was the first California Mission Church to be built from stone!  All of the other Carmel Mission buildings have now been replaced by stone structures but on the same foundation of the original structures so the mission is pretty much as it was in the early 1880's.

When we first drove up to the site, I thought it was a bit small but as we toured the grounds, I was taken aback by how extensive it is!  Each section connected to another unexpected area and that connected to yet another area and it kept going.  There are many artifacts and relics on display, in fact, it is considered one of the finest collections in California.  If you are ever in Carmel, I highly recommend that you visit.

If you are not familiar with early California Mission history here is a quick recap:  Mexico gained independence from Spain in 1821 making California part of Mexico and the Mission continued to flourish.  Then in 1834 Mexico closed the mission and took over its lands, selling off parts of the land to California settlers.  Forcing the priests and native American Indians out.  Many of the priests retreated to other churches and some of the Indians either went back to their native ways or worked for the new settlers as ranch hands.  More devastation to the mission ensued as the buildings fell victim to vandalism and decay. It stood as a pile of mud and rubble for many years.  California won its independence from Mexico in 1846, became a United States territory in 1850, and in 1859, the United States government returned the mission to the Catholic Church.  Restoration began in 1884 and continues today.  The mission experienced its greatest restoration period in 1933.  It was then that Mr. Harry Downie was put in charge of the restoration project.

Statue of Father Serra