Carmel, California 1

High Saturation: Tradition Spanish Mission Building Set Amongst a Brightly Colored Flower Garden

Carmel-by-the-Sea, often called simply Carmel, is a small city in Monterey County, California, United States, founded in 1902 and incorporated in 1916. Situated on the Monterey Peninsula, the town is known for its natural scenery and rich artistic history. In 1906, the San Francisco Call devoted a full page to the "artists, poets and writers of Carmel-by-the-Sea," and in 1910 it reported that 60 percent of Carmel's houses were built by citizens who were "devoting their lives to work connected to the aesthetic arts."

Religious Sculpture: Baby Jesus Pointing Upward and Holding a Globe in his Hands. Next to Mission Wall

The town is known for being dog-friendly, with numerous hotels, restaurants and retail establishments admitting guests with dogs. Carmel is also known for several unusual laws, including a prohibition on wearing high-heel shoes without a permit, enacted to prevent lawsuits arising from tripping accidents caused by irregular pavement.
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The most often heard comments from visitor?s center around the natural and spiritual beauty, of the Mission. They also show an appreciation of the historical legacy it represents. Through its five museums, the Carmel Mission addresses the history of one of California?s most important heritage sites. We trust the time you spend with us, will increase your understand and recognition of this heritage. Source: Mission San Carlos Borromeo del Rio Carmelo

Bunch of Sky Blue Flowers Growing Near a Gate to the Spanish Mission in Carmel, California

The first Europeans to see this land were Spanish mariners led by Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo in 1542, who sailed up the California coast without landing. Another sixty years passed before another Spanish explorer and Carmelite Friar Sebastian Vizcaino discovered for Spain what is now known as Carmel Valley in 1602, which he named for his patron saint, Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

Sunlight, Shadows and Stone Artwork. Statue of Mary set in an Alcove in the Adobe Wall.

The Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo was founded on June 3 of 1770 in the nearby settlement of Monterey, but was relocated to Carmel by Father Jun?pero Serra due to the interaction between soldiers stationed at the nearby Presidio and the native Indians.

Bars Over the Windows with Thin, Colorful, Green and Red Vines Clinging to Them, Set Against Adobe Wall

A Scottish immigrant, John Martin, acquired lands surrounding the Carmel mission in 1833, which he named Mission Ranch. Carmel became part of the United States in 1848, when Mexico ceded California as a result of the Mexican-American War.

Incredible Blue: A Bay has Cut and Hewn its Way into the Coast of California at Carmel-By-The-Sea

In 1888, Escolle and Santiago Duckworth, a young Catholic developer from Monterey with dreams of establishing a Catholic retreat near the Carmel Mission, filed a subdivision map with the County Recorder of Monterey County. By 1889, 200 lots had been sold.

Treasure Chest of Traditional Spanish Colonial Architiecture, Furniture and Home Decoration

The Arts and Crafts Club held exhibitions, lectures, dances, and produced plays and recitals at numerous locations in Carmel, including the Pine Inn Hotel, the Old Bath House on Ocean Ave, the Forest Theater, and a small building in the downtown area donated by the Carmel Development Company.

Impressively Decorated Wooden Door with Low Steps Leading to it, Framed by Adobe Walls and Garden Plants

Jack London describes the artists' colony in his novel, The Valley of the Moon; among the noted artists who lived in or frequented the village were; Mary Austin, Armin Hansen, George Sterling and his protege Clark Ashton Smith, Ambrose Bierce, Upton Sinclair, Robinson Jeffers, Sinclair Lewis, Sydney Yard, Ferdinand Burgdorff, William Frederic Ritschel, William Keith, Percy Gray, Arnold Genthe, and Nora May French.

Old Bell Tower Rising Above the Grounds of the Carmel Mission in Bright Sunshine

Early Carmel City Councils were dominated by artists, and the town has had several mayors who were poets or actors, including Herbert Heron, founder of the Forest Theater, bohemian writer and actor Perry Newberry, and actor-director Clint Eastwood, who was mayor for one term, from 1986 to 1988.
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The Basilica Church, a registered National Historic Landmark, is the centerpiece of the Mission. Upon entering, visitors are usually struck by its catenary ceiling, thirty foot reredos and 5 foot thick walls. The Missions fine collection of Spanish Colonial Liturgical Art and Artifacts are displayed through the church. Source: Mission San Carlos Borromeo del Rio Carmelo

Church of the Carmel Mission with Old Fountain in the Foreground. Garden Exploding with Life all Around

Carmel-by-the-Sea: located on the Pacific coast, about 330 miles north of Los Angeles and 120 miles south of San Francisco. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 4,081. Source: Wikipedia

Arid Abundance: Almost any Kind of Plant You Could Wish for can be found in the Gardens of the Carmel Mission

Known as "Rancho Las Manzanitas", the area that was to become Carmel-by-the Sea was purchased by French businessman Honore Escolle in the 1850s. He was well known and prosperous in Monterey, owning the first commercial bakery, pottery kiln, and brickworks in Central California. His descendants, the Tomlinson-Del Piero Family, still live throughout the area.



Front Entrance to the Church on the Grounds of the Carmel Mission, With Doors Wide Open in Welcome

The Spanish did not attempt to colonize the area until 1770, when Gaspar de Portola, along with Franciscan Fathers, Jun?pero Serra and Juan Crespi visited the area in search of a mission site. Portola and Crespi traveled by land while Serra traveled with the Mission supplies aboard ship, arriving 8 days later. The colony of Monterey was established at the same time as the second mission in Alta California and soon became the capital of California until 1849.

Running Along Side of the Mission Church is the Fountain, Some Visitors and the Always Present Garden

From the late 18th through the early 19th century most of the Ohlone population died out from European diseases (against which they had no immunity), as well as overwork and malnutrition at the missions where the Spanish forced them to live. When Mexico gained independence from Spain in 1821 Carmel became Mexican territory.

Beauty of the Pacific: Windswept Pine Tree on the Shores of Carmel-By-The-Sea, California

In Convento Museum, through which one exits the Mission complex, is found the cell used by Blessed Junipero Serra and were he died in 1784. Other rooms in the museum present interpretive displays for further understanding the history of this beautiful heritage site.  We hope your visit to this website will encourage a visit to Mission San Carlos Borromeo del Rio Carmelo. Then you too will exclaim its spiritual, natural and historical beauty. Source: Mission San Carlos Borromeo del Rio Carmelo