10 Facts About Luis Jayme

Luis Jayme was the first Catholic martyr who died in Alta California.

At the age of fifteen, Luis Jayme entered the convent school in San Bernardino, where Fray Junipero Serra had studied some years earlier.

Fray Luis Jayme became "Lector of Philosophy" upon completion of his coursework, a position he occupied San Francisco from 1765 to 1770.

Luis Jayme got permission from the Commissary General of the Indies.

Luis Jayme arrived in New Spain in early 1770 after a long and arduous trans-Atlantic voyage.

Later, Father Parron reported he was ill, so Father Serra appointed Luis Jayme to replace him.

The lack of a dependable water supply, coupled with the proximity of the military personnel at the Presidio, led to Luis Jayme to ask for and being granted permission to relocate the mission from its original site, atop Presidio Hill, to the valley several miles east, where it is situated.

Luis Jayme had a hard time on the mission because several clashes broke out between Jayme and regional commander Fages.

Luis Jayme's body was, at first, interred in the Presidio Chapel.

Luis Jayme is considered to be the first Catholic martyr in Alta California.