Mission San Xevier del Bac
by Joe Kozlowski
Title
Mission San Xevier del Bac
Artist
Joe Kozlowski
Medium
Photograph
Description
Everyone who comes to the mission knows the front of the church, but few see the church from the back. This is the entry to the courtyard and living quarters.
The current church dates from the late 1700's, when Southern Arizona was part of New Spain. In 1783, Franciscan missionary Fr. Juan Bautista Velderrain was able to begin contruction on the present structure usin money borrowed from a Sonoran rancher. He hired an architect, Ignacio Gaona, and a large workforce of O'odham to create the present church.
Following Mexican independence in 1821, San Xavier became part of Mexico. The last resident Franciscan of the 19th Century departed in 1837. With the Gadsden Purchase of 1854, the Mission joined the United States. In 1859 San Xavier became part of the Diocese of Santa Fe. In 1866 Tucson became an incipient diocese and regular services were held at the Mission once again. Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet opened a school at the Mission in 1872. Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity now teach at the school and reside in the convent.
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September 6th, 2010
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Viewed 531 Times - Last Visitor from Cambridge, MA on 04/19/2024 at 9:36 PM
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Comments (4)
Marie Ribbens
The mission is rarely photographed from this vantage point, making this image exceptional. There appears to be remnants of the mission's careful restoration, championed and paid for by native Tucsonian, Linda Ronstadt. She hired the same man who restored the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel to restore the frescos inside the mission's church. This site is one of the most-visited places in Arizona. There are always people there. It sits on American Indian land.
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