Building the Mission
Mission Carmel's construction did not start in a flash the first place the mission was settled was not the best place due to many reasons.Some of the soldiers at the Presidio were treating the Indians badly. This kept many away from Fr. Serra. The Indians felt Fr. Serra was a part of the Presidio. So, on August 24, 1771, Fr. Serra moved the Mission from Monterey to its present site in Carmel. This also put the Mission closer to a fresh water source and better land for growing crops. The early years here at Carmel were hard. The first Church and dwellings were made of wood and mud. The padres depended mostly on ships from Mexico for their supplies. Unfortunately, these ships did not make it to the Monterey Bay very often. So the Indians shared what little food and supplies they had. Over time, the Padres were able to grow their own crops, and this provided a great deal of the food for the people. Also, the wood and mud buildings were replaced with adobe structures. Carmel became the headquarters for Father Serra and all the Missions. It was from here that he oversaw the building of seven other Missions in California. Here he labored with his Indian friends until his death on August 28, 1784.
After Fr. Serra’s death, Fr. Fermin Lasuén continued the work. It was Fr. Lasuén who built the stone church that stands today. It was built on the site of the original adobe church with stone quarried from the nearby Santa Lucia Mountains. It was the first California Mission Church to be built from stone. The only other Mission Churches of stone were at San Juan Capistrano and Santa Barbara. The eighteen other Missions were built of adobe. The remaining buildings at the Mission today have been rebuilt on the same foundations of the buildings built by Fr. Lasuén. So the layout of the Mission today is much like it was in tIn 1793, Padre Lasuen undertook the construction of the present stone church. It was built with native sandstone quarried from the nearby Santa Lucia Mountains and erected on the site of the original adobe chapel. The interior walls curve inward as they rise. The ceiling follows the sweep of the walls, forming a beautiful catenary arch. The tower is of Moorish design and holds nine bells, which are reached by an outside staircase. Originally the walls were covered with burnt tile. he early 1800’s. The Carmel Mission flourished under Fr. Lasuén.
The church at the Monterey Presidio continued in use for the soldiers until 1794,later it was replaced by the structure which is still in use as a place of worship. The abandoned church at the presidio became the Church of the Royal Presidio and later the San Carlos Cathedral. As at the presidio, the first buildings at the new mission site were logs stuck into the ground, with additional logs forming a framework for a thatched roof. The first buildings included one room for a chapel, a four-room dwelling, a granary, and a dwelling for the servants and its kitchen. These were surrounded by a stockade about 130 by 200 feet in size, which included a guardhouse for the soldiers.
After Fr. Serra’s death, Fr. Fermin Lasuén continued the work. It was Fr. Lasuén who built the stone church that stands today. It was built on the site of the original adobe church with stone quarried from the nearby Santa Lucia Mountains. It was the first California Mission Church to be built from stone. The only other Mission Churches of stone were at San Juan Capistrano and Santa Barbara. The eighteen other Missions were built of adobe. The remaining buildings at the Mission today have been rebuilt on the same foundations of the buildings built by Fr. Lasuén. So the layout of the Mission today is much like it was in tIn 1793, Padre Lasuen undertook the construction of the present stone church. It was built with native sandstone quarried from the nearby Santa Lucia Mountains and erected on the site of the original adobe chapel. The interior walls curve inward as they rise. The ceiling follows the sweep of the walls, forming a beautiful catenary arch. The tower is of Moorish design and holds nine bells, which are reached by an outside staircase. Originally the walls were covered with burnt tile. he early 1800’s. The Carmel Mission flourished under Fr. Lasuén.
The church at the Monterey Presidio continued in use for the soldiers until 1794,later it was replaced by the structure which is still in use as a place of worship. The abandoned church at the presidio became the Church of the Royal Presidio and later the San Carlos Cathedral. As at the presidio, the first buildings at the new mission site were logs stuck into the ground, with additional logs forming a framework for a thatched roof. The first buildings included one room for a chapel, a four-room dwelling, a granary, and a dwelling for the servants and its kitchen. These were surrounded by a stockade about 130 by 200 feet in size, which included a guardhouse for the soldiers.