Mission Nombre de Dios - St Augustine, FL
N 29° 54.294 W 081° 18.918
17R E 469561 N 3308289
One of the most sacred sites in the United States, dating back to the early explorers of the area. There are about 50 graves to browse.
Waymark Code: WM8Q5F
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 05/01/2010
Views: 13
The Mission of Nombre de Dios traces its origins to the founding of the City of St. Augustine, America’s oldest city, in 1565. On September 8, 1565, Pedro Menendez de Aviles landed and proclaimed this site for Spain and the Church. It was here that Menendez knelt to kiss a wooden cross presented to him by Father Francisco Lopez de Mendoza Grajales, chaplain of his expedition. It was on these grounds that Fr. Lopez would celebrate the first parish Mass and begin the work at America’s first Mission. It was at this sacred spot that the Spanish settlers would begin the devotion to Our Lady of La Leche that continues into the present.
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In this same area are numerous tombstones dating from the 1800’s, including those of some of the founding Sisters of St. Joseph.
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The historic marker reads:
On this site, September 8, 1565, Pedro Menendez de Aviles landed with a band of settlers to found St. Augustine, first permanent Christian settlement in the United States. Father Francisco Lopez de Mendoza Grajales, Spanish diocesan Priest, offered here the first Mass in the Nation's first parish. The Spanish pioneers named this landing site Nombre de Dios - name of God - and founded here the first Mission in the United States.