The San Xavier del Bac Mission adorns a brown desert landscape. Its white exterior can be seen for miles around and has been adoringly named “the white dove of the desert.”

Photos by Sharon Bahr

Located on the Tohono O’odham Reservation in Tucson, Ariz., the 200 year-old mission founded by Father Kino is one of the most visited missions in the Southwest.

Blanca Montez, 36, and her boyfriend Carlos Castaneda, 45, live in Sonora, Mexico and don’t mind the drive to Tucson.

“Every two months we come for mass,” said Montez.

Built in the late 1700’s by Franciscan Fathers, the mission is an architectural delight with its many arches, domes, and towers.

While visiting Tucson, Della Schile, 60, and her husband Lewis Schile, 63, made sure they stopped in for a visit to San Xavier del Bac Mission.

“It gives a feeling of awe….it’s unbelievable,” said Schile. “The interior of the mission is breathtaking.”

San Xavier del Bac Mission is undergoing renovation, but remains open to the public. For a more comprehensive look at the renovations and conservation of art at the mission, a short video is available for viewing in a small theater next to the museum.

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