Mission Nombre de Dios - St. Augustine, Florida

It has because been called "the most sacred acre in America" and Mission Nombre de Dios in St. Augustine has truly earned that honor.

Now a beautiful park setting with a magnificent steel cross facing Matanzas Bay, the restored Chapel of Nuestra Senora de La Leche, historic cemetery and interpretive signs detailing the history of the site, the mission commemorates the planting of the first permanent Christian church in the United States.

On September 8, 1565, a Spanish flotilla commanded by Pedro Menendez de Aviles arrived in Florida's Matanzas Bay. He had been ordered to drive away the French who had built Fort Caroline on the St. Johns River and to plant a permanent settlement that would firmly establish Spain's title to the region. Spotting the Timucuan town of Seloy, Menendez came ashore and quickly established friendly relations with the leaders and inhabitants of the town.

On the same day, the fleet chaplain conducted a Mass of Thanksgiving to thank God for the safe arrival of the settlers in the New World. The Mass marked the firm establishment of the Catholic Church at St. Augustine and its presence has continued there without interruption for nearly 450 years.

Over the years that followed, Mission Nombre de Dios and its Chapel of Nuestra Senora de La Leche served as the mother of a chain of missions that stretched across Florida and up the East Coast as far as Virginia. The stone chapel was bombarded and destroyed by the Spanish themselves to prevent its use by English attackers during the 1700s, but was restored in 1875.

Today the site is open to the public daily and is a major landmark in the history of Christianity in the United States. Please click here to learn more about Mission Nombre de Dios: www.exploresouthernhistory.com/nombrededios.

Mission San Luis in Tallahassee

One of the most fascinating historic sites in Florida's capital city is Mission San Luis, a 17th century Franciscan mission, Spanish fort and Apalachee Indian village.

Located on a hilltop west of today's downtown area, the mission site is now a park managed by the State of Florida. It includes reconstructions of Spanish houses, the mission chapel, a massive Native American council house and the Spanish fort that defended the complex.

Mission San Luis was the western capital of Spanish Florida during the latter half of the 17th century. Unlike St. Augustine, which was constructed using a European plan, San Luis was built in a unique combination of European and Native American styles.

The site was occupied from the mid-1600s until 1704, when it was evacuated in the face of British-led raids on the missions of North Florida. Unlike many such sites, however, the location of Mission San Luis remained known through the years. Early settlers reported finding old Spanish cannon at the site and 20th century archaeologists were able to identify many key areas of the mission.

To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/sanluis.