Mission Santa Clara

Historic Mission Santa Clara is a consecrated Roman Catholic church that sits at the heart of Santa Clara University’s campus.  First Established by the Franciscan Order in 1777 as part of the chain of 21 Alta California Missions, our Mission Church was the only one of the 21 that the Franciscans handed over to the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) in 1851, making SCU the first institution of higher education in the State of California.