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| Landmark #342 | Santa Cruz County | Visited: October 2, 2011 | Plaque? YES! 🙂 |
| What is it? | The Holy Cross Catholic Church and plaque marking the 12th mission (of 21) founded by Father Fermín Francisco de Lasuén! |
| What makes it historical? | THE GUIDE SAYS: Mision la Exaltación de la Santa Cruz, the 12th Franciscan Mission, was consecrated by Father Fermín Lasuén in August 1791. In 1793, the adobe church was built where the Holy Cross Catholic Church is now located. The mission was damaged by several earthquakes and finally collapsed in 1857. Plaza Park is located at the center of the mission complex which contained 32 buildings at the time of its secularization in 1834, the last building remains on School Street.
OTHER TIDBITS: The mission’s name just means “Exaltation of the Holy Cross,” which is pretty self-explanatory! It was intended to convert the Awaswas people but later expanded to include other Costanoans and Yokuts! Unfortunately, this mission never grew very large because of a series of natural disasters which culminated in the 1857 earthquake that led to its collapse! |
| How can I Help the Helpers? | HERE’S HOW:
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| Where is this place? | LISTED DIRECTIONS: Plaza Park NE corner of Emmet and Mission Sts Santa Cruz, CA 95060 ANNOTATIONS: From Los Angeles: ~346mi (557km) — 5.8hrs |
| When should I go? | You can visit the plaque any time you wish, but if you want the full mission experience, you’ll have to head over to Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park! |
