Nombre de Dios Mission - St. Augustine, FL

We are winding down our time in St. Augustine, FL.  It's a great city with lots of history and lots to see.  We are trying to cram everything into the last couple of weeks.   We didn't do much site-seeing before the holidays.   The city was very crowded and parking at a premium, so we waited until everyone else went back home,  to work and school.   We purchased a trolley tour pass that is suppose to be good for 3 consecutive days and makes 22 stops you can get off and on.  The trolleys stop every 15 minutes so a wait for the next one is never long.   We told them we would be here for 3 weeks and didn't want to kill ourselves trying to see everything in 3 days, so they told us to just get on and off as many times for as long as we were here.   Although they don't advertise this, I imagine they tell alot of people this, which has worked out great for us.

So far we have toured the Castillo De San Marcos National Mounement, the Dow Museum of Homes, Flagler Memorial Presbytarian Church, Fountain of Youth, Lightner Museum, Nombre de Dios Mission, the Old Jail, School and General store, San Sebastian Winery, St. Augustine Historical Museum and strolled St. George Pedestrian Mall with many boutiques, art galleries and restaurants.

Nombre de Dios Mission is where it all began....

St Augustine was founded 43 years before Jamestown and 55 years before Plymouth Rock-making it the oldest continuous European settlement in North America.

The city's history began September 8, 1565 when Pedro Menendez de Aviles landed and knelt at this spot to kiss a wooden cross presented to him by Father Grajales. Thus the  founding of  the town of St. Augustine and Nombre de Dios mission  On that same date, Fr. Francisco Lopez de Mendoza Grajales  celebrated the first parish Mass.   The site today is marked by a massive cross, dedicated in 1966, made of stainless steel and rising 208 feet.  The cross weighs 70 tons and consists of 200 stainless steel panels in various sizes.  To secure it from hurricanes the lower interior 65 feet is tightly filled with concrete    The grounds also host the Prince of Peace Church (a votive church dedicated to prayers that God would deliver the world from atomic warfare),  statue of Father Lopez, shrines of Our Lady of Guadalupe and Our Lady of Perpetual Help.  There is also a Chapel dedicated to Our Lady of La Leche a Rustic Altar, cemetery, museum and areas where archaeological excavations are still taking place today.

Cross as viewed from inside the museum.

 Father Lopez Memorial

Our Lady of Leche Chapel.  This is the 4th building on this foundation.  Erected first by 1615 this shrine fell victim 3 times - to war, pirates and storms.  The last reconstruction began in 1918.  

The mission church is large enough to serve 200 souls.  

Statue of Our Lady of Leche housed in the museum.

  The devotion to our Lady of La Leche honors the divine motherhood of Mary.  

This devotion is  to Mary as patroness of mothers and mothers-to-be.

One shrine along the path of the Seven Sorrows of Mary

 This rustic altar is in memory of the mass of thanksgiving offered here on the day St. Augustine was founded.
 This altar has served pilgrimages, weddings, anniversary celebrations and ordinations to the priesthood.

 Many statues are positioned throughout the grounds.  This one is of the Open Arms of Christ.

 Statue of St. Francis of Assisi 1181-1226.

   Following the civil war, the Sisters of  St Joseph came to teach the liberated slaves. Interred are six members of their congregation.  Since I was taught by Sisters of St. Joseph for 8 years I took an interest in this part of the cemetery.

More of our site-seeing adventures to come.

Hope all is well!

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