Mission San Luis Hosts Blessing of Animals Event in a Reconstructed 17th-Century Spanish Church

TALLAHASSEE, FLA. –

On Saturday, October 4, pet owners and their pets are invited to Mission San Luis—a reconstructed 17th-century Spanish and Apalachee living history museum managed by the Florida Department of State—for the annual Blessing of Animals. The event is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and pets will receive a special blessing from local clergy.  Admission is free and all pets on leashes or in carriers are welcome.

“The Department is pleased to host this pet-friendly event each fall on the grounds of Mission San Luis as a way to promote Florida’s history and heritage,” said Secretary of State Cord Byrd. “As we prepare to celebrate America250FL, Mission San Luis is a great place to visit and learn about Florida’s colonial past representing one of the largest collections of 17th-century Spanish and Apalachee artifacts available anywhere.”

This year marks the 21st year of the event which occurs near the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, a 13th-century Italian friar and the patron saint of animals. Pets will receive their blessing in a recreated 17th-century Spanish church built on the site where the original stood over 300 years ago.

Participants will receive certificates and online photos of the blessing as a memento. Animal organizations will be on hand sharing information on the important work they do to support animals in Tallahassee and the surrounding communities. Guests are encouraged to bring donations of pet food and pet supplies for local animal shelters.

The family-friendly event will also feature pet-themed crafts and activities for children, and Mission San Luis living history interpreters, dressed in period wardrobe, will be on-hand to interpret the site and answer questions from guests about the Mission’s history. 

Guests must use the entrance at 2021 Mission Road due to construction at the site. 

For more information, please visit MissionSanLuis.org or call 850.245.6406.

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About Mission San Luis
Florida’s Apalachee-Spanish Living History Museum was the western capital of Spanish Florida from 1656 to 1704. Today, the Mission brings the early 1700s to life with living history interpreters in period dress, reconstructed period buildings, exhibits, and archaeological research. The site is managed by the Florida Department of State, and support is provided by the Friends of Florida History, Inc. Mission San Luis is Tallahassee’s only National Historic Landmark. Mission San Luis is located at 2100 West Tennessee Street in Tallahassee, Florida, and is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Guests must use the entrance at 2021 Mission Road due to construction at the site.  Mission San Luis is pet-friendly to animals on leashes all year round. For more information visit MissionSanLuis.org.