© seemallorca.com
© seemallorca.com
Museum of Juniper Serra Fray, Petra
Birthplace of the founder of the California Missions of San Francisco & Los Angeles
Museum located in the house where the famous friar spent his childhood. It shows the typical way of life in Mallorca in the 18th century.
Junípero Serra was a friar and priest of the Franciscan order who founded a number of Missions in California. He was born in Petra and sailed for America in 1749. He was canonised in 2015, granting him the title of "Apostle of California".
The museum is a classic Mallorcan architectural work, which has been expanded to display items dedicated to the life and work of Serra. At the entrance, there is a beautiful, manicured garden, with palm trees, a bell from Santa Barbara Mission, an almond tree and a cistern. Under the arcades are more commemorative plaques.
The museum holds treasures like the paintings, prints, medals, sculptures, reliefs, etchings and photographs relating to the work sites of Junípero Serra. All works and objects come from donations.
Visitor comments
- "This is a little gem of a museum in Petra, Mallorca. Dedicated to the missionary work of Junipero Serra who introduced Christianity to California and set up missions across the state, many of which still exist today. A tour of the museum provide the visitor with the history of Junipero Serra's work, many artefacts from California and his books and manuscripts. At the end of the visit, the curator whisks you up the street to a small house a few metres away, unlocks the door and welcomes you into Junipero Serra's family home as it was in the 1700's. Absolutely fascinating. A gem of a find, well worth a visit." - Trip Advisor
- "Fray Junipero Serra Museum is the museum, where you can learn about the life and and religious missions of Juníper Serra, a monk of the 18th century, in the Northamerican territory. Here you also can see some pictures of people, which had related with the monk. For me the best part of the museum is the house, where Juníper Serra lived in his childhood, which is located close to the museum. It is an interesting part, where it is posible to see objects and furniture of several years ago, but this house is not the real house of Juniper Serra, because it has changed in the last centuries. It is a very good site to visit if you like to learn and understand religious missions." - Trip Advisor
- "We didn't know anything at all about the real founder of California! We went to the small village of Petra and we found there this picturesque museum. It is very interesting and nice." - Trip Advisor
When to come
The museum is open Tuesday to Saturday from 09:30 to 13:30. There is a small entry fee.
