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Mission Of Nombre De Dios And Shrine Of Our Lady Of La Leche

Mission Of Nombre De Dios And Shrine Of Our Lady Of La Leche

The long history of the Mission of Nombre de Dios and Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche stretches back to the 1565 founding of America's oldest city, St. Augustine. After landing on Florida's shores, Spanish explorer Pedro Menendez de Aviles kissed the wooden cross presented to him by the exploration party's chaplain and titled the location, to be the future site of America's first mission, "Nombre de Dios." Today the Mission is gone, but there remains the Shrine, a 208 foot tall cross, and an outdoor altar commemorating the 1565 mass that coincided with the founding of the mission.

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