As you leave Jacksonville heading south towards St. Augustine and before you get to what remains of the old city walls and historic center, you would probably encounter a very tall cross rising above the marshes and wetlands of the St. Augustine Bay. A very impressive structure no doubt, but the history behind it is a fascinating tale that contributed to shaping North America as we know it today.
Rewind back to Easter day of 1513. It was early spring on March 27th, when the Spanish explorer and treasure hunter, Ponce de Leon, stumbled upon the shores of the mainland of the North American continent. Covered with spring flowers, Ponce de Leon claimed the Land for Spain and called it La Florida , "Land of Flowers." Sometime between then and 1563, and as the Spanish Government was launching expeditions to colonize their discovered land, the French beat them to establish a small settlement on the St. Johns River. The French settlement, Fort Caroline (or what remains of it) still exist today in Jacksonville's city limits. With the French guarding the Florida shores, the Spanish's expedition to colonize the land failed and they returned to Spain.
King Philip II wasn't pleased by the outcome, I imagine, and named Don Pedro Mendez de Aviles, a most capable commander, as the governor of La Florida, and assigned him the task to colonize it. And so goes the tale that Mendez first sighted the coast of La Florida on August 28th, 1565, the Roman Catholic feast day for St. Augustine. Elven days later, the commander and his soldiers arrived ashore at the site of the Timucuan Indian Village and fortified it naming it St. Augustine in honor of the day he first sighted it. Archaeologists later pointed out that the site of the Indian Village and the shore the Spanish colonist first conquered is the the present site of Mission of Nombre de Dios, home to the Great Cross.
Mendez went on to destroy Fort Caroline and defeat the French fleet. After getting rid of his enemies, Mendez set to building the town and exploring the land. It is believed that he placed a small wooden cross in the soil of Florida when he established the Mission of Nombre de Dios at the site of his landing, thus marking the birth of Christianity in the new world.
Four hundred years later in 1966, and at the direction of the Bishop of the Diocese of St. Augustine and the Archbishop of Madrid, today's Great Cross was erected to mark the spot where the first Catholic mass occurred in the new world.
The Great Cross stands 208 feet above land and weighs 70 tons. For protection against storms and hurricanes, the Great Cross consists of 200 stainless panels in various sizes. The lower 65 feet of the Cross are also filled with concrete. Granite slabs make the base of the Cross and many have names inscribed as memorials.
The history of St, Augustine following the Mendez period continues to be very interesting and I will blog about it in the future. But while I am on the subject, it is important to note that correct way to describe St. Augustine's standing in history is "the oldest permanent European settlement in America or the North American continent." Emphasizing "permanent settlement" because the French settled in Fort Caroline first, but that was destroyed, and emphasizing "European" because the Indian were here first and witnessed the marsh of the Spanish colonists.
Comments (7)
Very interesting! Nice photos too. Love those blue skies. :)
Posted by Annie | March 4, 2010 12:15 PM
Posted on March 4, 2010 12:15
Fascinating history lesson, thanks Candi! And that is one huge cross, I'd like to see it in person. Hard to imagine how tall it must seem when standing under it!
Posted by Anne | March 4, 2010 2:04 PM
Posted on March 4, 2010 14:04
Wow -- that is an enormous cross! And a very interesting piece of history. I didn't realize that the oldest permanent (important distinction!)European settlement in NA is in Florida.
Newfoundland boasts the site of a Viking settlement that was established in about 1,000, but it wasn't permanent.
Posted by sandrac | March 4, 2010 2:51 PM
Posted on March 4, 2010 14:51
Annie, the photos were taken back in December before the new year brought in the extreme temperatures to Florida.
Anne, I was fascinated by the cross, and alid underneath it for more than half an hour. The weather was nice.sigh.
Sandra, I did not know that the Viking settled in Newfoundland in 1,000. I guess that is the reason "permanent" or "continuously occupied" distinction is important.
Posted by Candi | March 4, 2010 3:13 PM
Posted on March 4, 2010 15:13
I’ve nominated you for a Sunshine Award. It is awarded to bloggers whose positiveness and creativity inspire others in the blog world.
You can pick it up over on my blog at http://followbarbsbliss.blogspot.com/
I love reading your blog. It is awesome and inspiring.
Congratulations !
Posted by Barb Cabot | March 5, 2010 9:20 AM
Posted on March 5, 2010 09:20
Interesting post, Candi! I'm trying to remember if we saw the cross when we were in St Augustine in the early 1980's but I'm drawing a blank. I guess it is hard to miss! lol
Love the clear blue winter sky.
Posted by Maria I. | March 5, 2010 12:48 PM
Posted on March 5, 2010 12:48
Really interesting. I did not even know how Florida was names until I read this. Huge cross! Must be amazing in person.
Posted by girasoli | March 8, 2010 1:32 AM
Posted on March 8, 2010 01:32