California missions spotlight: Is this storybook mission in Carmel the prettiest of them all?
San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo, Carmel
Second mission
1770
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Like the San Diego mission, this one began next-door to a presidio but soon relocated. It became the headquarters of mission founder Father Junípero Serra and was where he died in 1784. In addition to a re-creation of the room where he died and the church sanctuary (where Serra is buried), this site is known for its storybook appearance. Padre Fermín Lasuén had the mission church rebuilt in 1797 using sandstone rather than adobe. The site largely deteriorated in the 19th century, but restorer Harry Downie devoted several decades to restoration and improvements beginning in the 1930s. Downie gathered many of the artifacts here from local churches.
Nearby: Have a look at the quaint scale of downtown Carmel. Stroll past the lagoon at Carmel River State Beach (bit.ly/1pjdJzK). Check out the stacked stones of poet Robinson Jeffers’ Tor House (torhouse.org). Or head to the mission’s original site at 500 Church St. in Monterey. There, the sandstone San Carlos Cathedral (www.sancarloscathedral.org), once the presidio chapel, has stood since 1794, with a major expansion in the 19th century. Its boosters call it the oldest continuously functioning church and first cathedral in Alta California.
Info: 3080 Rio Road, Carmel; (831) 624-3600, carmelmission.org. Driving distance from Los Angeles City Hall: 330 miles northwest.
From the archives:
In 1964, The Times recounted Father Junípero Serra’s career and his attachment to San Carlos Borromeo the mission where he died.
In 1987, The Times reported on the Carmel mission’s enduring popularity.
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