10 Interesting Mission Santa Cruz Facts

Friday, August 1st 2014. | Religion


Let show you Mission Santa Cruz Facts if you want to know the Spanish mission founded by Franciscan order in 1791. The original name of the mission was Exaltation of the Cross. It was derived from the name of Gaspar de Portolà.  Here are the detail facts about Mission Santa Cruz for you:

Mission Santa Cruz Facts 1: Gaspar de Portolà

Gaspar de Portolà was a famous explorer. On 17 October 1769, he went to the banks of San Lorenzo River and placed a wooden cross.

Mission Santa Cruz Facts 2: site for ecclesiastical conversion

The main purpose of the Misson Santa Cruz is for ecclesiastical conversion. The first conversion occurred on Ohlone, then on Yokuts.

Mission Santa Cruz Inside

Mission Santa Cruz Inside

Mission Santa Cruz Facts 3: the first autopsy

Do you know that the first autopsy was conducted in the settlement in Alta California?

Mission Santa Cruz Facts 4: Holy Cross Church

Holy Cross Church located in the settlement is very old. In 1889, the church was established. It is considered as the site of the original mission church.

Mission Santa Cruz Old Pic

Mission Santa Cruz Old Pic

Mission Santa Cruz Facts 5: a chapel of Holy Cross Church

If you visit the mission site, you can see a half size replica of Holy Cross Church. The function of the church replica is for a chapel for Holly Cross Church. People built it in 1930s.

Mission Santa Cruz Facts 6: Plaza Park

Another important site in Mission Stan Cruz is Plaza Park. It was located in the similar place of the first plaza. There were 32 buildings here, but most of them were destroyed. The surviving one is restored and used as a Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park museum. In the past, it was used as a dormitory for native acolytes.

Mission Santa Cruz Replica

Mission Santa Cruz Replica

Mission Santa Cruz Facts 7: Padre Fermin Lause

Padre Fermin Lause was the person who sacred Mission Santa Cruz on 28 August 1791. Actually it was only a small mission. He had to rebuild the mission on the hill after the site was flooded by the San Lorenzo River.

Mission Santa Cruz Facts 8: the Quiroste tribe

The Quiroste tribe was the inhabitants of the mountain at the east of Point Año Nuevo. The tribe attacked and burned some members of the mission at the night of 14 December 1793. The tribe did it because of the intention to relocate the Indians from the site. Find out another mission in mission san francisco de asis facts.

Mission Santa Cruz Visitor

Mission Santa Cruz Visitor

Mission Santa Cruz Facts 9: Father Andrés Quintana

Father Andrés Quintana passed away on 12 October 1812 after he was killed by native people.

Mission Santa Cruz Facts 10: pueblo (town) of Branciforte

At the east of Mission Santa Cruz, people established a pueblo town of Branciforte in 1797. It was situated across San Lorenzo River.

Mission Santa Cruz

Mission Santa Cruz

Today, the site of Mission Santa Cruz is included as California Historical Landmark number 342. Are you impressed with facts about Mission Santa Cruz?


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