A series of novel heterogeneous olefin metathesis catalysts have been developed by immobilizing Ru species on SBA-15 mesoporous silica with tunable ordered pores and different textural properties. Various techniques such as X-ray diffraction, N-2 adsorption-desorption, high resolution transmission electron microscopy have been used to characterize the physicochemical properties of the catalysts. The catalytic activity of thus prepared Ru-based catalysts has been studied in ring closing metathesis (RCM) and other metathesis reactions. Among these immobilized catalysts, the SBA-15 support with the largest pore size gives rise to the highest catalytic activity because the large pores are benefit for the diffusion of reactants and products. The immobilized Ru catalysts prove to be reusable in RCM reactions. Their catalytic activity is closely related to the confinement effect and high hydrophobicity of SBA-15 mesopores. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.