Story Highlights
- Historical event
- 28 August 1784
- The Blessed Junípero Serra served as a Franciscan priest and missionary. He established the first nine missions in California (including San Diego, San Francisco, and Santa Clara). These missions, named after Catholic saints, were developed and became today’s cities.
- The Blessed Junipero Serra served as a Franciscan priest and missionary. He established the first nine missions in California (including San Diego, San Francisco, and Santa Clara). These missions, named after Catholic saints, were developed and became today’s cities.
The Catholic Blessed Junípero Serra, known as one of the most important people in the history of California, died on this day in 1784.
Bl. Junípero Serra served as Franciscan priest and missionary. He established the first nine missions in California.
These missions were very important for the development of California because most of its largest cities had been established as Catholic missions, which is obvious from the cities’ names. They were mostly named after the saints of the Catholic Church.
Bl. Junípero Serra came to the area of today’s California in 1769. He established the first Franciscan mission in San Diego, which was named after Saint Didacus of Alcala (Spanish: San Diego de Alcalá) – the Franciscan saint who had lived during the Middle Ages.
The famous Mission San Francisco de Asis was established in today’s San Francisco in 1776. A year after that, Mission Santa Clara de Asis was established in the city of Santa Clara, California.
Bl. Junípero Serra died in one of the missions he had established – San Carlos Borromeo del Rio Carmelo. This mission became today’s Carmel-by-the-Sea, and Clint Eastwood was its mayor at one time.
Junípero Serra was beatified by Pope John Paul II. Bl. Junípero Serra also brought many food cultures to California.
They became the basis of the production in this area – oranges, olives, lemons, figs, and grapes as well as sheep, goats, cattle and horses.