Second visit to Santa Cruz Mission - Introduction and Holy Cross Church (Take 1)ction day

The first part of my video begins in Plaza Garden which is at the center of Santa Cruz Mission. I then walk a short distance across  High street to the current day Holy Cross church. Later in my BLOG I'll visit the replica mission Church which is also located near Plaza Garden.

What remains today of La Mision de la Exaltacion de Santa Cruz, commonly known as Mission Santa Cruz, is not much.  The Mission, whose name translates to holy cross, is the 12th mission along the El Camino Real founded by Father Fermin De Lasuen August 28, 1791.  It was named after a feast day in the Church calendar which occurs on September 14:  The Exaltation of the Holy Cross, celebrating the Christian symbol of the cross on which Jesus was crucified.  Father Lasuen founded 9 missions including Mission Santa Cruz and was the successor of Spanish Fransiscan Father Junipero Serra.  On the founding of  Mission Santa Cruz, Father Lasuen wrote:  "I found the site to be most excellent as had been reported to me.  I found, besides, a stream of water very near, copious and important.  On August 28th, 1791, the day of St. Augustine, I said Mass and raised the cross on the spot where the mission is to be.  Many gentiles came, old and young, of both sexes and showed they would gladly enroll under the Sacred Standard."

 The Holy Cross Catholic Church, which is still standing today, on what is now called "Mission Hill," is built on the exact site of the original adobe church of Santa Cruz Mission.  It can be seen from Highway 17 when entering Santa Cruz and faces Plaza Park, which was the original plaza for the mission.  This newer church was not built to resemble the original.  The Reliquary, built nearby as a 1/2 size replica of the original church, has a small chapel and Visitor Center with displays of historic items.  These buildings are a short walk to the Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park.  This Park contains the last remaining building of Santa Cruz Mission and is now a museum that shows what life was like for the Native American workers who lived there.  This building is the only remaining example of worker family housing for any of the California missions.