Mission Nombre de Dios facts for kids
Mission Nombre de Dios is a special Catholic place in St. Augustine, Florida. It was started way back in 1565. This mission is on the west side of Matanzas Bay. It is part of the Diocese of St. Augustine. Many people believe it is the oldest mission still standing in the United States. The National Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche, which is a very old and important church, is also found here.
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History of the Mission
The story of Mission Nombre de Dios began on September 8, 1565. On this day, Admiral Pedro Menéndez de Avilés arrived with settlers to create St. Augustine. A priest named Francisco López de Mendoza Grajales held the first Thanksgiving Mass right on these grounds. The official mission was started in 1587. This makes it one of the very first missions in what is now the United States. The mission helped the nearby villages of the Mocama people. These were a group of Timucua Native Americans. It was a key place for a local leader in the late 1500s and 1600s.
First, the Jesuits and then the Franciscans worked with the Spanish settlers. They also tried to share their faith with the local Mocama and Agua Dulce people. They had good success in a Mocama village called Nombre de Dios. They helped convert the chief and her daughter. In 1587, when the Franciscans began their main mission work, a mission was set up at Nombre de Dios. A friar, or religious brother, lived there to serve the community.
What You Can See at the Mission
The Mission Nombre de Dios has many interesting things to see.
The Great Cross
The Great Cross is a very tall and impressive structure. Archbishop Casimiro Morcillo from Madrid dedicated it in October 1966. This was done to celebrate the mission's 400th birthday. Archbishop Joseph P. Hurley asked for it to be built. The cross is made of stainless steel. It stands 208 feet tall above the Matanzas marshes.
The Mission Museum
The Mission Nombre de Dios Museum has many cool things. You can see the original casket of Pedro Menéndez de Avilés. He was the person who founded St. Augustine. (His actual remains are in Spain). The museum also shows special clothes and cups used in church services. These come from the Diocese of St. Augustine's old records. You can also see old items found when people dug up the mission grounds. There are also pieces of coquina, which is a type of rock. This coquina was part of the first chapel's foundation.
The museum has copies of the oldest European writings found in the U.S. There is also a copy of an old document from Avilés, Spain, from 1155. You can see paintings by artist JoAnn Crisp-Ellert. There is also a small model showing the first church Mass. The museum opened in 2010. It is free to visit.
Prince of Peace Votive Church
The Prince of Peace Votive Church was built in 1965. It is located at the entrance to the mission grounds on San Marco Avenue. It was built to celebrate the mission's 400th anniversary. The church is made of coquina rock. It has a large stained glass window that shows the Holy Spirit. Inside, there is also a copy of the Our Lady of La Leche statue. This church is used for special prayers, weddings, funerals, and Masses. It was built to pray that God would protect the world from atomic war.
National Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche
The special prayer to Our Lady of La Leche came from Spain in the late 1500s. The mission grounds became home to the Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche. This was the very first Marian shrine in the United States. The main part of the shrine is a statue of the Virgin Mary feeding baby Jesus. It is a copy of a statue in a cathedral in Spain. King Phillip III placed the original statue there.
The first chapel was destroyed in 1728 during a British attack on St. Augustine. It was rebuilt in 1875 by Bishop Augustin Verot. But it was later damaged by a hurricane. The chapel you see today, covered in ivy, was built in 1914. It looks like the older chapels made of coquina. Many people visit this shrine to pray for healthy pregnancies and safe deliveries.
In October 2019, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops made the shrine a "national shrine." It was planned to have a special crowning ceremony for the statue in October 2020. This was moved to October 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Other Things to See
The Mission Nombre de Dios grounds also have other interesting spots. You can see places where archaeologists have dug up old items. There is a historic cemetery and special shrines to Our Lady of Perpetual Help and Our Lady of Guadalupe. There is also a gift shop, a bell tower, and pretty fountains. You can find a rustic altar, mission signs, and historical markers. There are monuments showing the Seven Sorrows of Mary. You can also see statues of Father López, St. Francis of Assisi, and St. Joseph.
See also
In Spanish: Misión de Nombre de Dios para niños
