Mission Santa Clara de Asis

Founded in 1777, this was the eighth of the California missions established by Spanish missionaries. Now located on the campus of Santa Clara University, it is the only California mission operating as a parish church.

Mission Santa Clara de Asís, the eighth of California's 21 missions, was founded on January 12, 1777, by the Franciscan order. The mission moved five times due to destruction from floods, fires, and earthquakes before settling at its current location in 1822. In 1851, it became the only California mission handed over to the Jesuit order, making Santa Clara University the first institution of higher education in California.

The mission's history is intertwined with tragedy. Many Native Americans converted to Catholicism during the mission era, but most died from diseases introduced by the newcomers. Several Ohlone burial sites have been discovered near the mission's various locations over the centuries, and the land beneath Santa Clara University is believed to contain many unmarked graves.

Paranormal investigators have documented unexplained activity at the mission. K2 EMF meters have registered unexplained fluctuations on the lawn outside—spikes that seemed to roam the grounds, allowing investigators to "follow" them around the area where the former Padres Dormitory once stood. The dormitory is now gone, replaced by a park-like setting, but the energy of those who lived and died here appears to remain.

Inside the mission sanctuary, investigators noted an unusual concentration of visual anomalies. Though no EVPs (electronic voice phenomena) were captured—possibly indicating residual rather than intelligent haunting—researchers felt they captured something unusual on video and photography during their investigation.

Visitors to the mission and the broader Santa Clara University campus have reported various paranormal experiences: unexplained sounds, sudden cold spots, eerie feelings of being watched, and even apparitions of Native Americans. The mission church itself, with its historic bell, ornate altar, and centuries of prayer and sorrow soaked into its walls, remains one of the most spiritually significant sites in the region.

Whether the spirits are those of Franciscan padres, Native American converts, or others who passed through these walls over nearly 250 years, the mission continues to hold an energy that transcends the ordinary—a place where the veil between past and present seems particularly thin.