Spring Gulch RV Resort

Mission San Xavier del Bac is situated in the Santa Cruz Valley nine miles south of Tucson, Arizona. Framed in the warm browns of the surrounding hills and the violet shadows of more distant mountains, it rises, brilliantly white from the desert floor of dusty green mesquite and sage. The imposing dome and lofty towers, the rounded parapets and graceful spires etched against the vivid blue complete a skyline with a graceful enchantment.

San Xavier Mission is acclaimed by many to be the finest example of mission architecture in the United States.  It is a graceful blend of Moorish, Byzantine and late Mexican Renaissance architecture, yet the blending is so complete it is hard to tell where one type begins and another ends.

The church is a series of domes and arches that create enclaves for themes of painting on the various walls, domes and rooms.  The area behind the high altar is a dazzling gilt of colors.  The wall paintings are all original, but over time have needed to be touched up. Time and the harsh desert weather have taken a toll on the the beauty that is within the church and the entire mission complex.  Currently the  church is going through an ongoing restoration that tries to clean, repair and preserve as much of the church as it can.  Outside the church, the restoration is even more extensive, and for this we have the gracious donations of visitors, patrons and the Patronato.

After more than two hundred years, the Franciscan Friars are still here serving the needs of the faithful. San Xavier del Bac Mission is a fully functioning parish church within the Diocese of Tucson.  It is a church that primarily serves the Tohono O'odham, but is open to all.