Why pilgrims come
A sacred place worth the journey.
The mission basilica that preserves the grave of St. Junípero Serra, along with the burials of Franciscan companions and generations of Native and Spanish Californians.
The pilgrim’s guide
What makes this visit meaningful
Carmel is the principal tomb pilgrimage for St. Junípero Serra and a living basilica. It is also a burial landscape that includes hundreds of Native and Spanish Californians, requiring prayerful attention to holiness, mission history, and the human cost of colonization.
St. Junípero Serra's grave
Pray at the sanctuary tomb where Serra was buried in 1784 and later canonically reinterred.
Serra reliquary
See the reliquary associated with material preserved during canonical examination of the grave.
A wider burial church
Remember the Native Californians and others buried beneath and around the mission, many without complete surviving records.
Feasts, anniversaries & celebrations