DAWN AND THE DONS 69
This work of art, done by Jo Mora, one of America’s
leading sculptors, takes the form of a sarcophagus supporting the recumbent figure of Serra, at whose head stands Father Crespi, who accompanied Portola to Monterey, and assisted in the founding of Carmel Mission; and at whose feet kneel Father Lasuen, Serra’s successor, and Father Lopez, a younger priest at the Mission. These four, and only these four of the Mission Padres are buried at this holy shrine. “Serra’s month and the fields he trod! Priest and man, knight errant of God! His was the blood that faces the guns; His the quest of the younger sons; But the wealth he sought is found by few, For the souls of men was the lure he knew.
“His is the path where he stood as guide, Where the Mission rose from the Carmel’s side— A path whose ending is set afar, Beyond the journeys of world and star; For an unseen city beckoned him, Whose gate was held by the seraphim.”
—George
Sterling.
