Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine

The Cathedral Basilica calls itself "America's First Parish." Its roots go back to 1565, when Don Pedro Menéndez de Avilés came ashore at St. Augustine. Father López de Mendoza Grajales offered him a cross to kiss while the Te Deum was sung, and a Mass followed immediately. That moment marked the start of the city and of what would become the Cathedral Parish.

Centuries of rebuilding

• 1586: Francis Drake burned the city, including the parish church
• 1702: The church was destroyed again during Governor James Moore's siege. Mass then moved to the chapel of La Soledad Hospital
• 1786: The Spanish crown ordered a new parish church. Its cornerstone was laid in 1793
• 1870: The Diocese of St. Augustine was created, and the church became its Cathedral
• 1887: The Cathedral was damaged by fire. It was rebuilt with transepts and a new bell tower
• 1966: The Cathedral was rededicated after a renovation for the city's 400th anniversary
• 1976: Pope Paul VI raised it to a minor basilica, the 27th in the US

Today

The parish serves local families and thousands of pilgrims and visitors. It also serves St. Benedict the Moor Church in the Lincolnville area, which was built in 1889 for recently freed slaves.