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Mission Santa Clara de Asis
Located inside Santa Clara University, Mission Santa Clara de Asis is the first ever California missionary to be named after a woman. Founded on 12 January 1777 by Father Thomas de La Pane, the mission was named after Saint Claire of Assisi, who was the founder of the Order of Poor Clares.
The mission was first built on the banks of Guadalupe River. During the initial years, the activities of the mission were supervised by Father de la Pena and Father Marguia. Apart from the religious activities, the Fathers also started converting the resident Indians who were living in small settlements in that area. However, their activities got affected with the advent of Mexican colonists during 1770s. A boundary was constructed between civilian settlements of San Jose and the Mission during 1801. However, Mission Santa Clara de Asis had to be shifted several times due to constant flooding.
After shifting to the new base at an elevated location, Mission Santa Clara de Asis became very successful with an increased rate of conversions as the Mission performed more baptisms than any other mission. The Mission taught the new converts various skills including farming, cooking and sewing. The construction of the mission’s church at its final fifth site started in 1822. This church remained functional till 1925 before it was destroyed in a massive fire. This church was rebuilt again in 1929.
With the advent of Mexicans, Mission Santa Clara de Asis was secularized in 1836 and started functioning as a parish church. However, things changed with the formation of California State, and the Jesuit order of priests took over the control of the mission. Father John Nobili, S.J, who was in-charge of the mission, started a college on the mission site in 1851. This college later transformed into Santa Clara University, inside which resides the mission. Mission Santa Clara de Asis is the only mission to have turned into a University.
Apart from holding daily rituals inside the chapel, the mission is also a favorite wedding destination for the university’s alumni. The mission houses a museum inside the university called as the De Saisset Museum. Apart from this, another interesting aspect of the mission is its bells that were donated by King Charles IV of Spain. These bells have not stopped ringing since the mission started in 1777.
- Address: 500 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, CA 95050-4345
- Telephone: (408) 554-4023
- Hours: daily
- Website: www.stclareparish.org
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