Missions of California

Named after the Sacred Cross, Mission Santa Cruz was founded on August 28, 1791, by Father Fermin de Lasuen. It is 12th in the California mission chain.

The Native Americans were friendly and eager, but the establishment of the nearby town of Branciforte soon caused discord. Straying neophytes were severely punished by the padres, leading to the murderous death of a priest. The appearance of the pirate Bouchard caused the evacuation of the mission in 1818, and in the absence of the padres the Branciforte citizens looted and damaged the mission. The Indians continued to leave the mission and work in the town, and by 1831 only 300 remained.

A series of earthquakes in 1857 destroyed the mission. In 1889 a Gothic-style church named Holy Cross was built on the site. Nothing is left of the original mission except a row of buildings that housed Indian families.

In 1931 Gladys Sullivan Doyle built a 1/3-size replica of the mission church. Today Holy Cross Church is an active parish and the 1/3-size chapel has weekday masses.