National Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche at Mission Nombre de Dios
National Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche at Mission Nombre de Dios
This profile was written in March 2024 by Autumn Wolter, coordinator at the Mission Museum at the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche. Scroll to the bottom of this profile to learn more about visiting this historic and religious site.
Our Beginning
What is now known as the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche at the Mission Nombre de Dios ("La Leche Shrine" or "National Shrine") is the location of the founding of St. Augustine (San Agustín to its original inhabitants) on Sept. 8, 1565.
Free and enslaved African people were on board the five surviving ships that made up the founding fleet of Pedro Menéndez. The Spanish colonists initially settled in an Indigenous Timucuan village on the current-day Shrine and Fountain of Youth properties.
The congregation founded here is also the oldest Catholic parish in the continental United States, meaning the Timucuans who lived here were the first Indigenous people in the U.S. to be missionized and converted to Catholicism.
Marian Shrine
A Marian Shrine is a Christian shrine dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Hundreds of these shrines exist worldwide, depicting unique aspects of Mary's life.
Built around 1678 by Franciscan missionaries, the original Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche is the oldest Marian shrine in the country. It was dedicated to Nuestro Señora de La Leche y Buen Parto (Our Lady of the Milk and Good Delivery) – a title given to images of the Virgin Mary breastfeeding the baby Jesus. The Spanish brought their devotion to this image of Mary from their homeland.
The next shrine church was built in 1875 by Bishop Agustin Vérot, the first bishop of the Diocese of St. Augustine. It was later destroyed by storms.
The shrine church was rebuilt around 1915 and still stands today, housing a statue of Our Lady and baby Jesus, both bearing crowns. There is direct evidence of only three shrines, but there are theories that there were four or five in total.
Throughout the years, people visit these shrines for personal prayer and quiet devotion.
Our Cemetery
On the La Leche grounds is a Catholic cemetery that was active from 1884 (the closure of the Tolomato Cemetery) until 1892 (the opening of the current-day San Lorenzo Catholic Cemetery).
It is the resting place of Union and Confederate Veterans of the Civil War and six soldiers from the U.S. Colored Troops Division, likely formerly enslaved men. The fact that their burials were given the same dignity as those of deceased white people was a rare occurrence in the 19th century.
Another rarity of the period – there are no barriers between the graves of the black soldiers and other graves at the shrine site. Catholics believe that all people have human dignity in the eyes of God, meaning that everyone deserves a respectable grave, no matter their race or background. Despite the conflict in the country, the Catholics in St. Augustine followed this practice.
Spanish Catholic Slavery in St. Augustine
Before Spain abolished slavery in 1817, slavery was widely practiced in the Spanish colonies.
However, it was a vastly different system from what most Americans are familiar with.
Instead of being chattel who were only recorded in inventories alongside livestock and tools, Spanish Catholics regarded enslaved people as human souls.
As such, enslaved people were allowed more rights in Spanish Florida than those enslaved in British or American territories.
They were allowed to be baptized and married in the Catholic Church, earn money to buy their freedom (though that was often difficult with their limited free time), and even sue their enslavers for mistreatment.
Spain's Policy of Sanctuary
In 1687, the first recorded group of fugitives escaping enslavement from the British Carolinas arrived in St. Augustine. These individuals (10 adults and a nursing child) requested to be baptized into the "True Faith."
Groups of enslaved people continued to arrive in Spanish Florida, seeking freedom and baptism. Six years later, in 1693, King Charles II of Spain issued a decree that granted citizenship to enslaved people who were able to escape from English colonies.
This freedom was granted if the enslaved people agreed to 1) convert to Catholicism, 2) commit some service (usually, men were required to join the local militia) and 3) swear allegiance to the Spanish King.
Middle Passage Marker at Mission Nombre de Dios
Located by the Middle Passage Ceremonies and Port Markers Project in 2015, this marker tells the story of African-descended people in St. Augustine and the slave ships that landed here.
Visiting Our Lady of La Leche Shrine
The National Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche at Mission Nombre de Dios is located at 101 San Marco Ave., just north of downtown St. Augustine.
The grounds are open for visitors Sunday through Saturday, from dawn to dusk.
The gift shop and museum are open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4:00 p.m.
The Historic Chapel and National Shrine Church are open Monday through Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4:00 p.m.
Mission Nombre de Dios gates are open from dawn to dusk.
Parking is free for anyone who visits the grounds for religious purposes (during scheduled confession, Mass or Exposition, parking is also free).
All visitors can park for free for the first hour. Those leaving the property have a parking fee, but those visiting the mission grounds and church can park for free.
Fees can be paid through the Passport Parking App – there is no cash system for parking at Mission Nombre de Dios.
Recommended Reading
Gannon, Michael. (1965) 1983. The Cross in the Sand. 2nd ed. University Press of Florida.
Landers, Jane. 1992. Fort Mose: Gracia Real de Santa Teresa de Mose: A Free Black Town in Spanish Colonial Florida. St. Augustine Historical Society.
This profile was written in March 2024 by Autumn Wolter, coordinator at the Mission Museum at the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche.
