San Xavier Del Bac Photo from National Register collection

Called the "White Dove of the Desert," San Xavier Del Bac is one of the most beautiful mission church complexes in the Southwest. The original mission was founded in 1692 by a Jesuit missionary, Father Eusebio Francisco Kino, to serve the Sobaipuri Indians (O'odham). The present church was built by the Franciscans between 1783-1797. Of Baroque design, the large stuccoed church has two bell towers, one of, which is incomplete. The church's beautiful front portal is decorated with scrolled ornaments and sculptures and virtually the entire interior is covered with elaborately painted and sculpted surfaces.

San Xavier Del Bac, a National Historic Landmark and functioning parish church, is 9 miles southwest of Tucson, Arizona, off I-19 on San Xavier Road on the San Xavier Reservation. The San Xavier Del Bac Mission is open daily from 7:00am to 5:00pm, except when weddings, funerals, or other special church functions are held. The church gift shop is open from 8:00am to 5:00pm daily and the museum is open from 8:30 to 4:30pm daily. For more information visit the San Xavier Del Bac Mission website or call 520-294-2624.