Carmel Mission Basilica

History & Significance

Basilica · Est. 1770

Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo (the Carmel Mission) was founded on June 3, 1770, by Franciscan Father Junipero Serra, who relocated it to the Carmel River valley in 1771. It served as headquarters of the Alta California mission chain and was the home and burial place of St. Junipero Serra, who died there in 1784. Restored over the 20th century, it remains an active parish of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Monterey.

Spanish Colonial mission architecture with a Moorish-influenced stone basilica church

• •Founded June 3, 1770, by St. Junipero Serra; second of the 21 California missions
• •St. Junipero Serra died here in 1784 and is buried beneath the sanctuary floor
• •Designated a minor basilica by Pope John XXIII in 1960
• •National Historic Landmark (1960) and on the National Register of Historic Places (1966)
• •Active parish of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Monterey