Father Francisco Lopez De Mendoza Grajales - St. Augustine, FL - Smithsonian Art Inventory Sculptures on Waymarking.com

This bronze status of Father Lopez depicts him wearing a chasuble (the outermost liturgical vestment) over a cinched alb (typically a white garment coming down to the ankles) with his arms lifted upward. The statue was moved to a slightly different location on the mission grounds in 2011. It is now located closer to The Great Cross and makes it appear that Father Lopez is looking up and backward at the cross. It is quite striking and a much better location.

"This impressive bronze statue of Father Francisco Lopez de Mendoza Grajales, chaplain of Menendez’ fleet; celebrant of the first Mass here; and first missionary at Nombre de Dios, stands eleven feet tall on a large base.

In a diary, Father Lopez recorded the September 8, 1565 landing of Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles, Captain General of the Indies Fleet and Adelantado of Florida at the village of Seloy:

On Saturday the 8th, the General landed with many banners spread, to the sounds of trumpets and the salutes of artillery. As I had gone ashore the evening before, I took a Cross and went to meet him, singing the hymn, Te Deum Laudamus (Latin for We Praise You God). The General, followed by all who accompanied him, marched up to the cross, knelt, and kissed it. A large number of Indians watched these proceedings and imitated all that they saw done.

Menendez then named the site Nombre de Dios (Name of God) and set Father Lopez in charge of the Mission. Father Lopez thus became the first pastor of St. Augustine, the first parish priest in this land.

The artist, a native Croatian, Dr. Ivan Mestrovic, intended the rough texture of the surrounding area to signify the tumultuous journey taken by the Spanish to America and to memorialize those who perished on the journey. Dr. Mestrovic's statue portrays Father Lopez in priestly vestments preaching the Gospel. The statue was dedicated on April 13, 1958 with Dr. Mestrovic and his wife in attendance.

Dr. Mestrovic was Dean of Art at Notre Dame University in South Bend, Indiana when he fashioned this work. He is noted for several outstanding sculptures in many parts of the world, including the Notre Dame campus and the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington D.C. Dr. Mestrovic found special significance in the passion of Father Lopez and his fellow priests to endure the journey to Florida and bring the message of Christ to the native peoples, so Dr. Mestrovic expressed their powerful story through this touching statue found here."

-- Source

TITLE: Father Francisco Lopez De Mendoza Grajales ARTIST(S): Ivan Mestrovic, sculptor. DATE: 1962. MEDIUM: Figure: bronze. CONTROL NUMBER: IAS FL000427 Direct Link to the Individual Listing in the Smithsonian Art Inventory: [Web Link] PHYSICAL LOCATION: Located at the Nombre de Dios Mission on San Marco Avenue in St. Augustine, Florida. DIFFERENCES NOTED BETWEEN THE INVENTORY LISTING AND YOUR OBSERVATIONS AND RESEARCH: The Smithsonian Inventory states that the statue stands before a polished granite base. However, in its new location, the statue base appears to now be a concrete base overlaid with porcelain tiles.

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