San Carlos Cathedral, Monterey (must see)

The Cathedral of San Carlos Borromeo, also known as the Royal Presidio Chapel, stands as a Roman Catholic cathedral situated in Monterey. This historic cathedral holds the distinction of being the oldest continuously functioning parish and the oldest stone structure in California. Its construction took place between 1791 and 1794, rendering it the oldest and smallest active cathedral in the United States, alongside Saint Louis Cathedral in New Orleans, Louisiana. It also holds the distinction of being the sole remaining presidio chapel in California and the sole surviving edifice from the original Monterey Presidio.

This church's roots trace back to its founding by the Franciscan Father Junípero Serra, initially established as the chapel of Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo on June 3, 1770. By May 1771, the viceroy had granted Serra's request to relocate the mission from the Presidio to its current location near the mouth of the Carmel River, where the present-day town of Carmel-by-the-Sea stands. The newly established mission was then christened Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo.

Following the mission's relocation, the preexisting wooden and adobe structure transformed into the San Jose Chapel for the Presidio of Monterey. Monterey ascended to the role of the capital of the Province of Californias in 1777, leading to the renaming of the chapel as the Royal Presidio Chapel. Tragically, the original church succumbed to fire in 1789, leading to its replacement by the current sandstone edifice, which saw completion in 1794 through the labor of Indigenous workers. This structure took the form of a Latin Cross and bears the distinction of being California's inaugural stone building. It exemplifies the refined Spanish Colonial architectural style of the late 18th century.