Historic District in St. Augustine in St. Johns County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Rustic Altar

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, December 17, 2019

1. Rustic Altar Marker

Inscription. This rustic altar calls to mind the Mass of Thanksgiving offered here by Father Francisco López de Mendoza Grajales, Diocesan Priest and the Fleet Chaplain, on September 8, 1565, the day the City of St. Augustine was founded. Gathered about the altar were Don Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, Adelantado of Florida and Captain General of the Indies Fleet, with his colonists, soldiers and the Timucuans who lived on these shores before The Lord Jesus was born.

John Gilmary Shea, historian and Christian humanist, reflects on that scene: “Mass was said to hallow the land and draw down the blessing of heaven before the first step was taken to rear a human habitation. The altar was older than the hearth.”

Following Mass, Pedro Menéndez hosted a feast for his companions and their new native friends. Thus began the first permanent Christian settlement in what is now the United States of America.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Religion & Religious Structures • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical date for this entry is September 8, 1565.

Location. 29° 54.312′ N, 81° 18.899′ W. Marker is in St. Augustine, Florida, in St. Johns County. It is in the Historic District. It can be reached

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from the intersection of San Marco Avenue (Florida Route A1A) and Old Mission Avenue, on the right when traveling north. Marker and subject altar are located along the walkway near the northeast corner of the Our Lady of La Leche National Shrine grounds at Mission Nombre de Dios. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 101 San Marco Avenue, Saint Augustine FL 32084, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in First Coast

and in Greater Jacksonville.

It is also in the American South.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Historic Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche (within shouting distance of this marker); Our Lady of La Leche (within shouting distance of this marker); Archaeology at the Nombre de Dios Mission — Nuestra Señora de La Leche Shrine (within shouting distance of this marker); Nombre de Dios Mission (within shouting distance of this marker); An Archaeological Discovery (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Elderberry (about 300 feet away); Archaeology at the 17th Century Shrine of Nuestra Señora de la Leche (about 300 feet away); Msgr. Harold Frederick Jordan (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in St. Augustine.

Also see . . . National Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche. Wikipedia entry (Submitted on November 12, 2025, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, December 17, 2019

2. Rustic Altar Marker

Marker visible to left of altar.

Rustic Altar image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, December 17, 2019

3. Rustic Altar

Credits. This page was last revised on November 12, 2025. It was originally submitted on March 11, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 1,365 times since then and 62 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on March 11, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.