Founded by Junipero Serra on 12. January 1777.
Relocated by Junipero Serra on 19. November 1781 to the present location after floods from the Guadalupe River destroyed the original Mission.

8th Mission of California. Located adjacent to the oldest college in California, the University of Santa Clara.

Flood, fire and earthquake forced five relocations until the Mission finally settled on this current final site in 1822. For more details consult Mission Church History, or since the Mission went into Jesuit hands, see the information in the Jesuits Community pages. One of the Mission bells is a gift from Spain’s King Alfonso XIII. The present church is the 6th church(!) constructed 1928 on these premises, after the 5th Church was lost in a 1926 fire. All changes are documented well by this Wikipedia page. Entry is free. Mission does not have a gift store or a Museum. Gardens surrounding the Mission are very pretty. I often see there students hanging around or studying in shadows of the trees. Cemetery has been relocated to the Lincoln Street. Old Cemetery at the Church was converted into a Rose Garden.

Sometimes classical concerts are being held in the Mission Church. I still remember the All Saints Day performance of Johannes Brahms "Ein Deutsches Requiem" in this church, a very spiritual experience.

Since the Church is on the premises of the University, parking can be challenging. Visitors might even elect to park on the west side of the grounds and walk a block.

Adjacent to the Mission is the de Saissset Museum of Art, which also hosts the Mission Museum.