Founded by Junipero Serra on June 3, 1770. Known as The Carmel Mission.

2nd Mission of California. The most prominent Mission in California.

The official site of the mission provides detailed information abut the religious services and the history of the Mission itself. It is located in the small town of Carmel, nowadays extremely popular and overrun by visitors. Parking in Carmel is a drama, but parking at the Mission is usually available.

The Basilica itself is one of the most flamboyant Spanish churches in California. The Mission was visited by the Pope John-Paul II on September 17, 1987. He called the Mission "the historical and spiritual heart of California". Junipero Serra is buried in this Mission, what surely makes the Mission special to the faithful. The Mission Museum hosts 1st Library in California. Many famous people visited the Mission, e.g. in year 1879 R.L.Stevenson recorded his journey in the book "Across the Plains." The Mission was in ruins at the time of his visit.

Aside of the Basilica, the Cemetery, Convento Museum, several Chapels, the Forecourt and Central Courtyard in the back of the premises is a Munras Heritage Museum of one of Monterey's prominent Spanish families.

There is actually one more building, usually closed to visitors: Crespi Hall. It hosts meetings of The Knights of Columbus, what is the world’s largest Catholic lay fraternal service organization with nearly 2 million members(!!) in 16,000+ councils globally. In 2023 we were lucky to visit the Mission when they had an Open Door event. See the images at the end of this gallery. This hall is usually closed to visitors.

Carmel by the Sea and its Mission has been many times a destination of choice for us and our guests. It is a primary destination for many visitors to the Bay Area.

Wikipedia page of the Carmel Mission.