Discover the Oldest Mission in the United States Founded More Than 450 Years Ago

Mission Nombre de Dios

Mission Nombre de Dios, the oldest mission in the U.S., was founded in 1565 in St. Augustine. St. Augustine is the oldest town in America. It is a Catholic mission on the west side of Matanzas Bay. Part of the Diocese of St. Augustine, it is thought to be the oldest mission still in existence in the continental U.S.

History

On September 8, 1865, Spanish Admiral Pedro Menéndez de Avilés landed on what is now Florida with a company of settlers to found St. Augustine. This locale would become the genesis for the oldest occupied, non-indigenous city in the North American continent.

The chaplain of this expedition, Father Francisco López de Mendoza Grajales, presented Avilés with a wooden cross upon this founding. Avilés proclaimed this site as belonging to Spain and the Catholic Church by kneeling to kiss this wooden cross.

Thanksgiving Meal

After the first mass on the site, Pedro Menéndez invited the Timucua-speaking natives to join the settlers in hosting a meal of thanksgiving. The Spanish and Timucuans would have brought differing dishes to this initial feast.

The Spanish would have likely served a stew of salted pork and garbanzo beans. To complement this dish, they would have brought biscuits and red wine. The Timicuans would have added hunted meat such as turkey, venison, gopher tortoise, mullet, and other fish.

Historian and author Dr. Michael Gannon wrote of this feast in his book Cross in the Sand. He says, “It was the first community act of religion and thanksgiving in the first permanent (European) settlement in the land.” This thanksgiving was consecrated 56 years before the historical Puritan-Pilgrim thanksgiving at Plymouth, Massachusetts.

Mission Founded

In what was then called “La Florida’s” early years, the Franciscans ministered to the resident Spanish colonists. These friars were successful in the village known as Nombre de Dios and converted the Timucua group’s chief and daughter to the faith. The formal mission was officially founded near the village in 1587, which makes Nombre de Dios the oldest mission in the United States.

Pedro Menéndez used laymen, mostly military personnel, as religious leaders for the mission until 1578 when Franciscan priests took over the duties. These priests remained in the region until the end of the First Spanish Period in 1763. The original chapel was destroyed during the British siege of St. Augustine in 1728. It was rebuilt 147 years later but suffered consequent damage from a hurricane.

20th Century

In 1934, a gardener who was planting orange trees on the grounds of the Fountain of Youth Park discovered human skeletons which were aligned from east to west in the Christian fashion. Walter B. Fraser, the owner of the grounds, approached the Smithsonian Institution. They subsequently sent archaeologist J. Ray Dickson to conduct excavations on the site.

Due to those excavations and since then, experts concluded that the initial founding area of the Nombre de Dios mission church lies in the current-day Fountain of Youth Park, 180 yards southwest of the original Menéndez settlement.

Grounds and Features

“The Great Cross,” a 208-foot-high monument, was erected and dedicated in 1966. Archbishop Casimiro Morcillo of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Madrid dedicated the oldest mission in the United States. Made of stainless steel, the cross was hoisted ceremoniously to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Mission Nombre de Diols’ founding.

Another major feature of the oldest mission in the U.S. is the Mission de Dios Museum. It showcases the original casket of Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, the founder of St. Augustine. Although Avilés’ remains were transferred to a crypt in Spain in 1924, this artifact is revered by many.

Additional attractions at the museum include chalices, artifacts found during the excavations of the grounds, and coquina — sandstone shell remains — that were part of the original mission’s foundation. Paintings and reproductions of the oldest written European documents are also featured here. Admission to the museum is free, and tours are self-guided.

The National Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche is another feature of the museum. Shipped over from Spain in the late 1500s, the shrine alludes to the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus. At the heart of the shrine is a statue of Mary nursing infant Jesus, which is a miniature replica of a statue in a Spanish cathedral. In October 2019, the shrine was elevated to a national shrine status.

Additional features of the oldest mission in the U.S. are a historic cemetery, additional shrines, a gift shop, a bell tower, and fountains.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Danita Delimont/Shutterstock.com