Santa Clara Mission Cemetery

The 1st Christian cemetery in the Santa Clara Valley was established by the same Franciscan Padres who established Mission Santa Clara de Asis in 1777. As the population of the valley grew, the small cemetery filled. Within the space of 50 years the church of Mission Santa Clara changed locations 4 times. With each church there came a new cemetery, ending with the cemetery at the 4th site on today's campus of Santa Clara University. By 1851, when Santa Clara College was established, the Jesuit Fathers realized that the old cemetery near the Mission was filled.