St. Augustine - City of History

 

I love history, even more now than in my younger years. Maybe that is something we appreciate more as we get older. Understanding where ideas and cultures come from interests me, and the landscapes in which these things develop. Wherever I go in my travels I want to learn and experience the historical significance of a place and appreciate its unique story. St. Augustine is known as the oldest city in the nation, so there is much to learn here.

With very limited time, I did not get to do too much in the way of learning a lot of St. Augustine's history, but I was able to collect a few snippets. I would love to go back in the winter time when it's pleasant and cool to walk around outside, rather than the 90+ degree heat, high humidity, and intense sun. The city was established in 1565 by Don Pedro Menéndez de Avilés. He sailed from the port of Cádiz, Spain. The day he first spotted the land of Florida was the feast day of Saint Augustine of Hippo, therefore he decided to name the first settlement after Saint Augustine. 

A quick stop at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine was a must. Obviously, the connection to Saint Augustine is clear here. It was built in the Spanish Mission style and dates back to the 1700s. The cathedral holds a piece of Saint Augustine's finger bone as a relic. A stature of his mother, Saint Monica, is at the back of the cathedral. If you read The Confessions of Saint Augustine you will be familiar with his story and the role of his mother. The stained glass also has depictions from The Confessions.

Visiting the Lightner Museum was a delightful mix of interesting history and architecture (it was originally built as The Alcazar Hotel in 1888 as a luxury resort complete with a bottom floor that was a pool and different baths and spas were on the upper level along with a casino and ballroom) as well as collections of interests and art. The building itself is worth a visit, built in the Spanish Renaissance Revival style, you can tour through the rooms where baths once were and see the pool area that is now a small café, surrounded by the mezzanine level collections of art and furniture. The collection of marble sculptures, paintings, furniture, glass, etc is very enjoyable. It was not crowded, so it was a relaxing wander through all the levels of the old hotel on a very hot day.