Carmel's Romantic Mission San Carlos Borromeo Del Rio Carmelo

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Without a doubt California's charming coastal village of Carmel compels one to romance. But this location, the 1797 Mission San … Read more Without a doubt California's charming coastal village of Carmel compels one to romance. But this location, the 1797 Mission San Carlos Borromeo Del Rio Carmelo, with its lovely, fountain-filled gardens, basilica and authentic furnished living quarters—including California’s first library—is the central heartbeat of it all. Perhaps it's the aura of romance that moved the artist Marguerite to respond by creating this summer-hued, pointillist-inspired painting. Like California's redwoods, the mission parish church is still going strong centuries after its origins as a working farm on a then-barren windy hill adjacent to the Carmel River's fresh water.
Deemed worthy of a visit by Pope John Paul II, a little history: Of the eight missions between San Diego and San Francisco founded in "Alta California" by the tireless Franciscan missionary and Mallorcan native Junipero Serra, Carmel was his favorite. Working from the original adobe structure on the site, Serra oversaw the building and operation of the other seven. He chose it as his burial site. For this mission's centrality in California's story, the site is protected on the National Register of Historic Places and is a National Historic Landmark.
Oh, one other thing, it's also a very popular wedding location when at least one of the couple is Catholic. For anyone thinking of or remembering a wedding there, wouldn't a gift of this painting be delightful? See less