Santa Cruz or St. Cruz is a small beautiful village that has a lot of greenery situated in north Goa in the Tiswadi taluka. It is considered to be the largest village in Goa, which is made up of 11 wards and has villages such as Merces, Bambolim and Taleigao as it neighbours. Here one can also see a lot of mansions. The place was earlier known as Calapur and is known to have got its name from a rich merchant known as Kalapa Kelima who was appointed by King Shasta Deva II.

The village of Santa Cruz has a beautiful church from which the present name is derived known as the church of the Holy Cross. The name Santa Cruz is derived from two words Santa which means holy and Cruz that means Cross. The church was built in 1546 and its feast is held on 3rd May which is the main village festival. The villagers also celebrate the harvest festival with great pomp. There is also a chapel situated here known as the St. Anthony Chapel.

Santa Cruz also has a temple known as the Shanta Durga Temple, which is an important monument of the village. The Hindus celebrate the Palki festival and also celebrate festivals such as Diwali and Shigmo. There are many schools in the village and the village is also very famous for sports and culture. There is also a sports club situated here known as the Crown Club that was very well known earlier as it excelled in volleyball and football.