On a Mission to the Carmel Mission

Living in a beautiful place such as the Monterey Bay, I wonder if we tend to overlook some of the treasures we have hidden in our own backyard. Sometimes, you might have to do a little digging to uncover these gems. However, you might just accidentally happen upon them by attending a field trip with your children. This is exactly what happened to me when we went on a 4th grade California Social Studies field trip to Mission San Carlos Borromeo del Rio Carmelo, also known as The Carmel Mission.

As a homeschool parent, we go on a lot of field trips with and without . For this particular trip, a group of parents decided they were going to check out the Mission in Carmel. I had never been to this one, so I thought my daughter and I would tag along. I knew it would be interesting, but I didn’t really know much about the history of this particular Mission, even though I did look at their website to get an idea, and I had been to several other Missions before. I was still very surprised that we had stumbled upon such a beautiful local treasure.

We arrived in the parking lot and I was immediately taken aback by the unique beauty that is encapsulated behind the fences of the grounds. With heightened curiosity, we paid our entrance fees inside the powerfully incense-scented gift shop, and entered a lush garden of beautiful trees and a virtual rainbow of colorful flowers. The backdrop of the fabulous architecture that forms the Basilica Church in the courtyard, which is a registered Historic Landmark, is absolutely picture-perfect and will make you feel like you stepped into a postcard or took a walk back in time.

As our kids ran around chasing each other on the paths through the gardens, I began to wonder who was actually the student on this field trip, because I felt like a kid who was obligated to point out every detail to my parent companions. I am sure my "ooooohs" and "ahhhhhhs" were audible not only to them, but to complete strangers who looked at me with either very puzzled expressions, or with a knowing smile. 

I was definitely in my element which consisted of two of my passions: old architecture and natural beauty so thrilling it is hard to blink because you might miss a second of it. Yes, it was just like that. It will make your inner photographer burst out with a stream of clicks, dropping behind bushes and trees to get that right shot. Soon, you might find yourself planning out your new and glorious career as the latest, greatest, most creative photographer since Ansel Adams, armed with nothing but the camera on your phone…okay maybe that is just me. But, just for the record, I actually did have my camera with me this time.

The Mission has quite a history of both good and bad times. The original Mission site was founded in 1770 by Father Junipero Serra, and was located close to the Presidio in Monterey. It was the second Mission to be founded along the California Mission Trail. In 1771 Fr. Serra moved the Mission to a new location from Monterey to Carmel because there had been much turmoil and mistreatment of the native people at the Presidio. The new location was also closer to fresh water and had better land for growing crops.

The Carmel Mission became the headquarters for Fr. Serra and is where he chose to live out the rest of his life. It was also where he supervised the building of seven other Missions. He died there in 1784 and was also buried at the mission. In the Convento Museum, you can see the cell in which he died. He was buried in the adobe church that was there at the time. A new church had been planned but not constructed at the time of his death. After Fr. Serra’s death, Fr. Lasuen built the new church from stone brought in from a quarry in the Santa Lucia Mountains. It was the first Mission to build a church from stone. The others, up until that point, were made of adobe. Fr. Junipero Serra’s remains were moved to the new church after it was completed. His grave is located inside the altar of the Basilica Church. The splintered wood from his original casket is also on display.

You would think when you see such an interesting landmark full of early California history that it had been carefully preserved for all of these years. However, it wasn’t and was left to decay and turned to mostly ruins after it was closed in 1834. A plan for restoration was put in place 1884, but it wasn’t until 1933 that full restoration began, thanks to the efforts of Sir Harry Downie, who was hired by the pastor of the Catholic Church in Monterey. He was a 28-year-old cabinet-maker and was originally hired to fix some statues and he fell in love with the Mission. He even rebuilt some of it with his own hands and devoted his life to restoring the landmark. He became curator and remained there for 50 years until his death and is also buried at the site.  

When I entered the mission, I didn’t know all of the history of this landmark, and I didn’t know much about the restoration project. The first thing I noticed when I visited was the exquisite detail that was in every corner of the five museums on site as well as the well-maintained grounds and meticulously manicured gardens. The time and devotion Mr. Downie put into restoring and rebuilding this piece of California history shows in detail. 

When I left, I knew that I had also been a student and not just a chaperone on a school field trip. As a child growing up in California, I had visited the Missions and though I remember some detail, I know I was also a kid who couldn’t wait to chase my schoolmates on the garden paths or peer into old fountains and birdbaths. But, as an adult, I got to experience it on a new and completely different level, and not just because my daughter accidentally dropped her little Puffle plushie ball over the wooden railing at the church altar with a bounce, bounce, bounce right onto the foot of Father Serra’s place of burial (oops!) but because it is full of California history.

It is important to know our local past, and to recognize not only the good, but also the bad side too and the mistakes that were made along the way. California Mission history is no exception to both. 

Do you like architecture, do you like natural beauty, do you want to experience your local history? Then this is a great place to go. The Carmel Mission is located just south of the town of Carmel and about half a mile from Highway 1 on Rio Rd. Check out their website for hours, fees, directions and history. 

Here are a few resources for California's Missions.

• http://www.carmelmission.org/museum/
• http://www.viamagazine.com/attractions/california%E2%80%99s-21-missions
• http://www.missionscalifornia.com/