A Visit to Mission San Xavier del Bac

I visited Mission San Xavier del Bac back in April when my friend Laurel was visiting. I shared a few pictures in my April roundup but then I got busy with May travel and June recovery, so I never posted the rest of them. Since I’ve done absolutely nothing interesting for yet another week, I’m going to trot out the rest of them for this week’s Weekend Coffee Share (hosted by Natalie the Explorer). Here we go:

What is Mission San Xavier del Bac?

I know you’ll be surprised to learn that it’s… a mission! A Spanish Catholic one, to be precise. Founded in 1692, it’s located about 10 miles south of Tucson on the Tohono O’odham Nation San Xavier Indian Reservation. It was named for Frances Xavier, founder of the Jesuits, and established by Father Eusebio Kino. The current church was built between 1783 and 1797 and is still a working church. You can learn more about its history from the church’s website and Wikipedia. According to the church’s website, Mission San Xavier del Bac is, “widely considered to be the finest example of Spanish Colonial architecture in the United States.”

Photos of Mission San Xavier del Bac

Exterior of the building

Courtyard and garden

Architectural details

I’ve forgotten almost everything I learned in the art history class I took 35 years ago, so I can’t provide accurate details about these features. But–they’re cool!

Interior

The transept is famous for its ornate frescoes, sculptures, and other décor. Unfortunately, the mission is being remodeled, so most of the transept was closed to visitors, and there was a lot of scaffolding in the way. Still, these photos will give you a sense of what the interior looks like.

I hope to go back when they’re done remodeling the inside. I’d love to be able to explore the transept.

The Memery

There’s nothing new in my life to report, so let’s get right into the laughs.

I’ve been struggling to be productive and maintain healthy habits lately, so these two are entirely too relevant to my life right now:

I did make it to the gym last night and manage a 30-minute walk this morning, so maybe I’m breaking out of my doldrums.

I like to imagine that when we die, we’re reunited with all our lost things. If that’s true, I’ll have plenty of socks and membership cards in the afterlife.

A guide to my father’s youth:

According to my father, it snowed every day in Oklahoma–except for the days on which there were tornadoes.

It’s too hot to garden right now (hey, you should have known I’d sneak in a complaint about the weather–it’s supposed to be 109F today), and my poor plants are barely hanging on as we all wait for the monsoon rains to start. But we still have garden memes!

Also garden-related:

I snort-laughed. The four little bridal shoes on the floor are just… genius.

And finally:

Happy Friday! Happy weekend! What’s happening where you are?

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