White Dove of the Desert
The two towers of the Mission Church of San Xavier del Bac are like a “white dove” rising above the rough Sonoran Desert landscape south of Tucson Arizona, in the Santa Cruz River Valley on the Tohono O’odham Nation’s San Xavier Indian Reservation (see Tohono O’odham in the BLOG)
One of a chain of missions reaching into the American Southwest, the Mission of San Xavier del Bac was founded near the Santa Cruz River in 1692 by Padre Eusebio Kino, a Jesuit explorer. Located in the center of a centuries-old Indian settlement of the Sobaipuri O’odham, the name is a mixing of the European and indigenous cultures, del Bac referring to the river’s reappearance in the sand. The Mission Church building is also a mixture of Spanish Baroque design and indigenous construction.
Construction of the present Mission Church was done between 1783 and 1797. The simple layout is a classic latin cross plan, but unique to mission churches the interior volumes have arched/domed ceilings.
The design is attributed to Ignacio Gaona who designed other mission churches. The workers who constructed the Church were primarily from the O’odham community. This Spanish Baroque church design was executed by indigenous workers using indigenous materials. The Sacristy and Chapter Room are constructed of low-fired adobe bricks and stone set in a mortar of sand and lime. The construction is finished with a plaster composed of lime, sand, and prickly pear cactus juice.
Over the years the Mission Church has been repaired and refinished a number of times including expansions on the site. The ongoing restoration can be seen by comparing the appearance of the West Tower topped by a cupola to the unrestored East Tower which was not completed during original construction. A particular characteristic of the Spanish Baroque is the highly decorated facade between the towers with the carved displays of church stories and effigies. The very ornate decorative iconography continues in the church interior
