Mission San Xavier del Bac is a
very unique mission. Its beginning is unlike any other…there
was no plan, it went through different types of religions throughout the
changes of “ownership”, and it was never fully completed until around 1756.
The mission was first “built” or created rather, by Father Eusibio Kino in
1692. When I say it was created, it simply means that even though Father Kino
is said to have built the mission in 1692, the mission never really got past
its plans or foundations.
Even though Jesuits established a
sporadic presence at San Xavier beginning in 1732, it wasn’t until 1756 when
Father Alanso Espinoza began construction of the first church. The first
church was a long, hallway shaped building with a flat roof and adobe walls. A
very simple concept but it served its purpose. The beautiful building, or
the “White Dove of the Desert”
as many people know it today, was not what was built until 1783 by Father Juan Bautista Velderrain. When Father
Velderrain died at San Xavier in 1790, Father Juan Bautista Llorens replaced
him. Father Llorens oversaw the decoration of the interior of the church. A
painter and sculptor from Mexico, arrived at the mission shortly after Father
Llorens became in charge. He brought with him many of the statues of religious
figures seen throughout the mission. By 1797, with funds becoming a scarce
commodity of the mission, work stopped, including the east bell tower. Shortly
after the completion of construction, the church doors were open for service.
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