02/18/2026
Founded by Padre Kino in 1692, San Xavier del Bac Mission is Arizona’s oldest European structure and a masterpiece of Spanish Colonial architecture. Completed in 1797, it continues to serve as a place of faith and community. Ongoing restoration preserves this historic treasure for all who visit.
HISTORY
San Xavier del Bac Mission was founded in 1692 by Jesuit missionary Father Eusebio Francisco Kino, SJ who traveled extensively in the region to spread Catholicism and foster peace among Indigenous communities.
San Xavier del Bac Mission on the Tohono O’odham Nation in Tucson, Arizona was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1960 by the Secretary of the Interior and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966.
This Mission, continues it’s original purpose in serving the Tohono O’odham people of the Wa:k Community of the San Xavier District. The Mission building began as a modest adobe structure but soon transformed into an extraordinary architectural and spiritual marvel that we experience today.
Construction of the church we see today began in 1783, during the period when Southern Arizona was part of New Spain.
Thanks to a unique partnership between Franciscan missionary Fr. Juan Bautista Velderrain and Sonoran rancher contributions, work on the current building commenced under the direction of architect Ignacio Gaona.
Completed in 1797, it remains the oldest intact European structure in Arizona and an outstanding example of Spanish Colonial architecture.
The church’s design reflects Spain’s Baroque style, featuring elaborate, dramatic elements on both the interior and exterior.
Its thick walls, arches, and vaults are made from low-fire clay brick, stone, and lime mortar, with vaulted masonry roofing—a rarity in U.S. Spanish Colonial buildings.
Unique sculptural elements, likely created by artists from Querétaro in New Spain, were brought by mule over rugged terrain to be assembled and decorated in place.
The church is adorned with statues and vivid murals, some showing Franciscan symbols like the knotted cord and others depicting biblical themes. The Baroque artistry extends to decorative features such as faux doors and dramatic curtain motifs, giving the church an almost theatrical quality.
The history of San Xavier Mission is intertwined with the region’s changes in governance, religion, and culture:
1692: Father Kino visits the village of Wa:k
1700: Father Kino begins foundations on a church never built
1711: Father Kino dies in Magdalena, Sonora, Mexico
1756: Father Espinosa constructs the 1st church
1767: Jesuits are expelled from New Spain
1768: Spanish Franciscans take over the Mission
1783: Construction begins on the present church
1797: The Mission church is completed
1821: Spanish Franciscans leave
1846: Cooke’s Mormon battalion passes by the Mission
1854: Gadsden Purchase puts the Mission inside the United States
1859: Santa Fe diocese begins first repairs of the Mission
1887: Earthquake damages the Mission
1905: Bishop Granjon begins major repairs
1913: Franciscans return to the Mission
1939: Lightning strikes the West Tower
1953: Church facade is restored
1963: San Xavier becomes a National Historic Landmark
1978: Patronato San Xavier established to preserve the Mission
1989: Leaking walls force emergency restoration
1992: Conservators begin a 5-year rescue effort of the interior
Today, San Xavier continues as an active parish, fulfilling its original mission to serve its community while welcoming around 200,000 visitors annually
