These 7 Breathtaking Missions In Northern California Are Loaded With History
By Joanne Kraft|Published July 15, 2016
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Joanne Kraft
Author
Joanne is a fourth-generation Northern Californian. She knows good sour dough bread when she tastes it and understands the best parts of the Golden State are nowhere near Los Angeles.
Did you know there are 21 Spanish missions in California? The majority are in southern California, which makes the few up our way even more special. These missions were built between 1769 and 1833 to promote Christianity among the Native Americans. The Franciscan Order of Catholic priests built and lived in these historical structures to cultivate relationships with natives and convert them to the Christian faith. These same Spanish priests used their land and mission homes to introduce Spanish fruits and vegetables. These same missions are now some of the oldest historical buildings in our state today. Here are a few you may not even know are in our part of the state.
Founded in 1776. This mission was named after St. Francis of Asisi. The small white adobe building on the left is the actual mission. The much larger basilica on the right was built in 1918.
This was the last of the 21 missions to be built. The friar who selected this northernmost spot wanted to move from where he was serving at the mission in San Francisco. The weather was not his favorite and he wanted a nicer climate. But, most importantly, he desired to go where he could find more potential converts to the Roman Catholic faith. This spot suited both of those goals.
This mission was the 8th to be built in California. Plus, it was the only one named after a woman. The city of Santa Clara and the county are named from this mission. It's also the only mission on a university campus. Yep, you guessed it: Santa Clara University.
This was the 14th mission built in California, founded in 1797. The mission originally consisted of more than 100 adobe structures, but they fell into disrepair after the mission began its decline in 1833. Many of the structures have been restored, and the old mission church is now part of Saint Joseph Catholic Church.
Built in 1791, this mission was under the protection of the San Francisco Presedio, but that didn't mean the Native Americans feared that. On December 14, 1793, Mission Santa Cruz was attacked and partially burned by members of the Quiroste tribe. They killed and disfigured the priest there for retaliation over relocating their tribe to the mission and for using a whip with a metal tip to punish mission laborers. Once there were 32 buildings here. The San Lorenzo Creek flooded in its early years and destroyed most of what stood.
Led by the musically gifted Father Pedro Estévan Tápis, after its construction in 1797 he taught the Indians who lived there how to sing. They loved him and the Jesus he loved, and they populated the little mission so much so that the cemetery there where he's buried also holds 4,000 Indian converts to the Roman Catholic faith.
If you love history then you must take a little road trip and visit a few of these gems. We’ve adopted a few that may not be considered from “true Norcal” places, but they deserve to be claimed and we will happily oblige for sake of all they’ve done to bring our past to life.
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