Online Tour of the Mission Gardens

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A portion of the Mission Cross is currently encased for its preservation within the large wooden cross facing the Mission.

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Four bells hang in the Mission tower. The oldest, dating back to 1798, was a gift from King Carlos IV of Spain. Following the 1926 fire, two bells were recast and one is a replica. King Alfonso VIII of Spain donated the fourth and final bell in 1929.

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The bronze façade statues of Saint Clare, John the Baptist, and Saint Francis were originally made of pear wood and carved in Oberammergau, Germany; they were installed in 1931.

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The current Mission Church marks the sixth in a series of the Santa Clara churches from 1777 through 1926. Today’s Mission was constructed following the 1926 fire, which destroyed the fifth Mission.

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Mission Santa Clara Web site
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This bronze plaque, dedicated on January 12, 1981, the 204th anniversary of the founding of the Mission, identifies Mission Santa Clara as a California Registered Historical Landmark.

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The walled rose garden stands where the boys’ chapel was located. It serves to commemorate the earlier Mission cemetery located in this spot.

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Trees such as these are a reminder of the time when cork trees were essential for bottling wine and olive oil. This one dates back to the early 1930s.

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Hitching posts from the early Mission period.

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The S.C.C. stone steps helped passengers in and out of carriages in the early years of Santa Clara College.

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Placed by the California Women’s Club, the Mission bell marker is similar to those placed along the El Camino Real throughout the state.

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This concrete design in the arbor entry way marks the path through the east wing of the 1822 Mission and into the courtyard.

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Dating back to the 19th century, this arbor comes alive with purple wisteria in the spring. The original arbor was planted with grapes.

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Since the original placement in 1884, the Sacred Heart statue has been the focal point of the Mission Gardens.

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Woodaria fern, native to California, date back to the early 1900s.

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The Adobe Lodge and adobe wall (O and P) are sole survivors of the 1926 fire that destroyed the 1822 Mission. The lodge and the Mission were restored in 1981.

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Adobe Lodge Web site

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The Adobe Lodge and adobe wall (O and P) are sole survivors of the 1926 fire that destroyed the 1822 Mission. The lodge and the Mission were restored in 1981.

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The lower part of the adobe wall was a kitchen and a smokehouse.

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The olive trees were planted in the late mission period and range in age from 125 to 250 years old.

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This statue of Saint Joseph in its own stone niche was presented to the University by the Class of 1948.

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The rose garden was established after the destruction of the Mission and boys’ chapel in the 1926 fire.

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Ricard Observatory is named for Jerome Ricard, S.J., a University meteorologist whose sunspot theory of weather forecasting won him the title “Padre of the Rains” in the early 1900s.

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Granite obelisk marks the launching site of aviation pioneer and physics professor John J. Montgomery’s controlled flight in 1905 in a heavier-than-air-glider.

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