Mission San Xavier del Bac, Tucson AZ

Mission San Xavier del Bac, Tucson, AZ
A National Historical Landmark, San Xavier Mission, was founded as a Catholic Mission by Father Kino, a Jesuit priest in 1692. Construction of the current church began in 1783. The oldest, in tact European structure in AZ, the church’s interior is filled with marvelous original statuary and mural paintings. This has been an active Catholic church since the beginning. Someone had the foresight in 1978 to promote the conservation of the Mission Church. Through great efforts, conservators began a five year rescue effort of the interior in 1992. An international team of conservators cleaned, removed over painting, and repaired the interior painted and sculptural art of the Mission.
It is a sight to be seen. The job that was done here shows that with the right experts and enough capital you can restore to the beauty of the original structure. They now have undertaken the restoration of the exterior and are more than half done. Visiting this was a unique experience and we must thank our good friend, Jim Nickoloff, for making us aware of this treasure. The Mission is located on an Indian reservation. On Sundays, the Indians set up grills, which are 50 gallon drums, cut in half and start their wood fires to heat their pots of all types of goodies which they serve on Indian Frybread. This was a real treat. If you are ever in the Tucson area, you must make it a point to visit this Mission Church.