Royal Presidio Chapel of San Carlos Borromeo
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Touchstone
N 36° 35.746 W 121° 53.419
10S E 599257 N 4050604
Established as a mission by Father Serra, June 3, 1770, this became the royal Presidio Chapel when the mission was moved to Carmel. The chapel was rebuilt with stone in 1791 and became the parish church in 1835, due to secularization. In a dilapidated condition in 1850, it was reconstructed and altered with money donated by Governor Pacheco in 1858.
Waymark Code: WM79A
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 02/06/2006
Views: 29
From its founding on June 3, 1770, this chapel has accompanied
Monterey on its path through history. Father Serra and Don
Gaspar de Portola, leader of the Spanish military expedition, were charged with
founding a new settlement to secure New Spain's possession of Alta California.
Soldiers constructed the first fortifications and dwellings of the Royal
Presidio (long gone, the site occupied an area approximately bounded by Webster
and Fremont streets between Camino El Estero and Abrego Street). The first
chapel took the form of a pole-and-brush structure.
Three versions of the chapel were built and lost to fire or
reconstruction before work began on the stone building visitors see today. It
was designed in Mexico City at the Academy of San Carlos and constructed between
1791 and 1794, using local labor, including Indians under the direction of
master stonemason Manuel Ruiz.
The main façade of the chapel is California's first architect designed
building. It is embellished with pilasters, decorative niches, and sculpture. As
the only church in the capital of the province, it was attended by provincial
and foreign dignitaries and was the setting for public ceremonies. It was designated
‘Royal’ because Alta California’s Spanish Governor worshipped there in his
role as representative of the King of Spain. When the Presidio
was abandoned around 1835, all the buildings except for the chapel fell into
ruin. Converted to a parish in 1840, the chapel became San Carlos Church. It
served as the cathedral of the Bishop of Monterey from 1850 to 1857. In 1968 it
was again designated a cathedral, the smallest in the continental United States.
San Carlos Cathedral is the oldest building on the Monterey Peninsula and the
oldest church in continuous use in California, and the only remaining chapel
associated with a presidio in California. Not surprisingly, it is also a
National Historic Landmark.