Ruth Soller » Blog

Mission San Xavier del Bac was one of my dream destinations to paint plein air. When my niece planned her wedding in Tucson in 2016, we scheduled our travels around the event. San Xavier Mission was founded near Tucson by Jesuit missionary Kino in 1700 and rebuilt by Franciscan missionaries between 1783 and 1797. 

Also called White Dove of the Desert, San Xavier features an elegant white stucco Moorish exterior with an ornate entrance of massive, carved mesquite wood doors. The oldest intact European structure in Arizona, the church interior is filled with marvelous original statues and mural paintings. 

 San Xavier is still actively run by Franciscans, and continues to serve the Native community by which it was built. The San Xavier Festival is held the evening of the Friday after Easter and features a torch-light parade of Tohono O'odham and Yaqui tribal members. San Xavier Mission was designated in 1966 on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.