FREE ADMISSION OPEN TO THE PUBLIC 7 DAYS A WEEK !
On Sept . 8 , 1565 , a small band of Spaniards and four priests celebrated the first Mass of Thanksgiving on the shores of North Florida in preparation for starting a settlement there . They named their new home St . Augustine in honor of the saint on whose feast day they sighted land . Thus were the seeds of Christianity first sown in America north of Mexico .
Mission Nombre de Dios holds the honor of being the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in present-day United States . Concurrently , it marked the beginnings of the Cathedral Parish , now known as the Cathedral Basilica and serving as the see of the Diocese of St . Augustine .
See the original burial casket of Pedro Menéndez , the 208 ’ tall Great Cross , museum & gift shop , rosary garden and the site of the oldest Marian Shrine in the U . S .
Tripadvisor Traveler ’ s Choice 2023 !
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Come pray before the canonically crowned
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Our Lady of La Leche . 101 San Marco Avenue , St . Augustine , FL 32084 | 904-824-2809 | missionandshrine . org | info @ missionandshrine . org