Early Years of Carmel Mission
Portola left soon after the founding, placing Lieutenant Fages in charge. Fages began to interfere with Carmel Mission, and within a year, Father Serra decided to move a few miles south to a spot on the Carmel River that had better soil and water, and was further away from the soldiers.In the summer of 1771, the first buildings were started, using 40 Indians from the south, 3 soldiers and 5 sailors for labor. The first winter was very hard. They arrived too late to plant crops, and no ships could get there because of ocean storms. Finally, some soldiers went south toward present-day San Luis Obispo and killed some bears. With some wild seeds they harvested along the way, they carried enough food back to keep the people from starving.
Father Serra went along with the bear hunters, then traveled south to San Diego and Mexico. In San Diego, he persuaded a sea captain to carry supplies back, but he did not return to right away. He went to Mexico, and was gone for a year and a half. While he was away, Father Palou took over.
Carmel Mission 1780-1800
By 1783, records show 165 converts, and there were 700 people living at Carmel Mission and on its ranch. They had built an irrigation canal from to river to a pool near where they kept fish. The Indians were trained to do farm and ranch work, blacksmithing and carpentry, and to make adobe bricks and roof tiles and tools.Supplies ran low again in early 1774, and many people almost died, but the fall harvest was good. They harvested 207 bushels of wheat, 250 bushels of corn and 45 bushels of beans. By 1774, the harvest was four times larger. About the same time, Don Juan Bautista de Anza established an inland route and started bringing supplies by land, so the settlers did not have to depend on ships.
Father Serra returned to Carmel in 1774. He moved into a small hut next to Carmel Mission, and administered its affairs from there until he died on August 28, 1784, at age 70. He was buried next to Father Crespi, who died in 1782. Fathers Palou and Lasuen succeeded Serra as Presidente of the Missions, and both made Carmel their headquarters.
By 1794, the Indian population reached 927. A new stone church was started in 1793, and finished in 1797.
Carmel Mission 1800-1830s
Father Lasuen died in 1803, and was buried in the church next to Fathers Crespi and Serra.Over its 66 year history, Carmel Mission made 4,000 converts, but by 1823, the population had begun to decline, and only 381 were left. In 1833, Father Jose Real took charge.
Secularization
The next year, 1834, Mexico secularized the missions because it could not afford to support them after Mexico gained independence from Spain. The Mexican government sold the land around the church, right up its walls. Father Real moved to Monterey, but only held services at Carmel Mission occasionally.The land were returned to church in 1859, after the United States government took control of California. By then, the roof had collapsed, and it stayed in ruins for thirty years, until Father Angel Casanova, pastor of the church in Monterey, raised money for new roof in 1884. The new roof kept the church from further deterioration.
Carmel Mission in the 20th Century
The church restoration was started in 1930s by Harry Downie. Downie came originally to restore some of the statues, but became interested in restoring the whole building. With support from Father Michael O'Connell, the pastor after 1933, he restored the church and surrounding buildings.Carmel Mission became a parish church in 1933, and was designated a minor basilica by Pope John XXIII in 1961, and it is still an active parish church with regular services and a school. In 1985, the Catholic Church declared Father Serra venerable, and he was beatified in 1988 to recognize his heroism.
