Monterey's original mission was established by Franciscan friar Junípero Serra in 1770, but poor soil and the corrupting influence of Spanish soldiers forced the move to Carmel two years later. Today this is one of California's most strikingly beautiful missions, an oasis of solemnity bathed in flowering gardens. The mission’s adobe chapel was later replaced with an arched basilica made of stone quarried in the Santa Lucia Mountains. Museum exhibits are scattered throughout the meditative complex. The spartan cell attributed to Serra looks like something out of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, while a separate chapel houses his memorial tomb. Don’t overlook the gravestone of ‘Old Gabriel,’ a Native American convert whom Serra baptized, and whose dates put him at 151 years old when he died. People say he smoked like a chimney and outlived seven wives. There’s a lesson in there somewhere.

Mission San Carlos Borromeo del Río Carmelo is a Roman Catholic mission in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a U.S. National Historic Landmark. The mission consists of five museums and is known for its exceptional beauty. The main edifice is the basilica, with a magnificent catenary ceiling, 5-foot-thick walls, 30-foot-tall reredos, and a collection of significant Spanish artifacts and colonial liturgical art. In the forecourt of the Basilica is the Harry Downie Museum with artifacts and displays about the restoration of the mission. Behind the basilica is the Munrás Family Heritage Museum. The Jo Mora Chapel Gallery houses the Serra Memorial Cenotaph, sculpted by Jo Mora in 1924. The Convento Museum houses the cell in which Saint Junipero Serra died in 1784.

Mission San Carlos Borromeo del Río Carmelo or Misión de San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo, first built in 1797, is one of the current most authentically restored Roman Catholic mission churches in California. Located at the mouth of Carmel Valley, California, it is on the National Register of Historic Places and is a National Historic Landmark. The mission was the headquarters of all Alta California missions from 1797 until 1833. It was headed by Saint Junípero Serra from 1770 until his death in 1784. It was also the seat of the second presidente, Father Fermín Francisco de Lasuén, who was in charge of completing nine more mission churches. The mission buildings and lands were secularized by the Mexican government in 1833. They fell into disrepair by the mid-19th century. The chapel was saved from total destruction when the roof was rebuilt in 1884.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places and a U.S. National Historic Landmark, this was California’s second mission, and it played a significant role in California’s late 18th century power struggles. The church is today one the most authentically restored churches, with an original bell tower that survives to this day. As such, it’s more than a place of worship; the church hosts concerts, art exhibits, lectures and numerous other community events. There are also four museum galleries that cover the restoration, the history of the Munras Family, and cells that were the living quarters of the first priest here. There’s also a chapel containing Serra’s vestments. You may hold your wedding at the church too!

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.