Be sure to explore the Carmel Mission grounds to learn more about its fascinating history before or after the wedding. You’ll find treasures like the oldest Bible in California, California’s first library, originally stocked by Franciscan missionaries, Indian artifacts, and the final resting place of Saint Junípero Serra, at the altar of the Basilica.
Father Junípero Serra & The Carmel Mission
In 1769, the Spanish king, Carlos III, sent sea and land expeditions with military troops and Franciscan missionaries from Mexico to California. The primary mission was to expand European territory and evangelize Indian inhabitants to Christianity.
Franciscan priest Father Junípero Serra founded the first mission in 1769, Mission San Diego de Alcalá located in San Diego. He went on to establish 8 of the 21 California Missions before he died in 1784.
The mission where our wedding takes place, Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo, was the second of the 21 missions and was established on June 3, 1770, by Father Junípero Serra. It was Serra’s favorite Mission, served as mission headquarters, and where he spent his last 14 years before dying and being buried here.
The Carmel Mission evangelized the Esselen and Ohlone peoples, teaching them European farming, crafts, religion, and Spanish. Their economy relied heavily on livestock and agriculture, managing 15,000 cattle, 10,000 sheep, and 1,500 horses. The mission was a large producer of the hide and tallow trade. They used tallow for soaps and candles, and hides were tanned for leather goods, including saddles and clothing. The farms yielded 100,000 bushels of wheat, barley, and corn annually, with vineyards producing wine for Mass and trade. Carpentry and blacksmithing shops crafted furniture and tools, promoting self-sufficiency.
The Missions were the first true examples of Christian homesteads and communal agriculture settlements. Franciscan priests didn’t travel to California just to convert the native Americans like many believe; they came to educate and train them with new skills like brick making, construction, raising cattle and horses, blacksmithing, weaving, and tanning hides.
Mass under the Vizcaino Serra Oak
This painting from 1877 by Léon Trousset depicts Fr. Serra celebrating Mass under the Vizcaíno Serra Oak, surrounded by members of the Gaspar de Portolá expedition.
In 1602, explorer Sebastián Vizcaíno hung a bell on this tree and held Mass beneath its branches, giving thanks for the safety of his expedition.
More than 160 years later, Father Serra would find this same oak, following Vizcaíno’s writings, and arrived at Monterey Bay on June 3, 1770. That day, Serra celebrated Mass at a makeshift altar constructed beneath the tree. He then planted a cross and officially established Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo.
This ancient tree became the cornerstone of the founding of Monterey and the Carmel Mission.
"Everyone arrived singing, while the bells hung from the old oak tree were ringing at full peal. … With all the men kneeling before the altar, we sang the Veni Creator. A large cross had been laid out on the ground; we lifted it together and planted it upright in the earth. I said the prayers for its blessing, and everyone knelt to venerate it. Then I sprinkled holy water over the ground around the cross. At each new act, the bells would ring, the soldiers would fire their guns, and the San Antonio would discharge a volley from its cannon. After raising a loft the standard of the King of Heaven, we unfurled the flag of our Catholic Monarch. As we raised each of them, we shouted, 'Long live the Faith! Long live the King!'…
