Writers' Program of the Work Projects Administration in the State of Arizona

“ The plan of the vaulted interior is a perfect Latin cross with transepts, apse and nave. The right and left transepts are treated as chapels. At the north end is the chancel with its high altar. Over the crossing of transept and nave, the lofty dome rises over an octagonal drum supported on the arches and pendentives, while to the left and right are richly appointed transept chapels each containing two altars. Light streaming through the high windows in the clearstory and the four medallion windows in the drum of the dome is refracted from wall to wall in soft bluish tones. ”

“ An isolated church, white against the soft shades of the bare desert and the distant colors of the low-lying mountains, it is visible for miles in every direction.
Prent Duell, who calls San Xavier “the greatest of all missions” in his book on mission architecture, gives the following description of the view from the front: “The facade of the church is symmetrical, with two plain towers on either side of an ornate gabled entrance. Above the broken pediment of the gable, the noble dome may be seen between the towers. ”

“ The walls of the interior are richly adorned with frescoes and gilded ornament. The interior decorations of San Xavier, though somewhat faded in color are perhaps richer than those of other missions—the elaborate detail of its gilded altars, the bizarre painted statues, the spindled 24 altar rails and wine glass pulpit, are in keeping with the rich traditions of Spain and Mexico. ”

“ The windows and doors are symmetrically placed and thrown wholly in shadow by the heavy walls. Their blackness, contrasted with the glistening whiteness of the walls, and the reddish ornamentation 10 about the entrance make a picture against the cloudless sky and endless desert, not to be forgotten. ”

“ The actual building of San Xavier was carried on under the direction of Ignacio Gaona, Spanish architect and master mission builder. Ornaments and fixtures of the older church were placed in the new building.
After Mexico won independence from Spain in 1822, the friars were expelled from the country and the missions were confiscated. San Xavier remained for years without a priest, and the buildings were used for stables, barns, or barracks. At this time the faithful Indians buried 15 many of the ornaments and statues to prevent their destruction in Apache raids. ”

“ The root of the ocotillo plant supplies the red. The pulpy sap of the saguaro (giant) cactus gives the blue. Brown and yellow are made from the first layer of skin under the bark of the palo verde tree, and green comes from sage leaves while mesquite beans make the thick black. The degree of boiling gives the shades desired.
The preservation of San Xavier del Bac is a worthy gesture in enabling increasing thousands to see intact this magnificent example of early mission architecture.
33 Bibliography ”

“ The mission was founded by Eusebio Francisco Kino, picturesque pioneer missionary of the Jesuit Order, whose purpose was to Christianize the Indian population. San Xavier is the northernmost of his mission chain, extending up the West coast from Sinaloa to Pimería Alta. Pimería Alta, meaning the upper country of the Pima Indians, included all the territory between the Gila River, in what is now Arizona, on the North and the Río del Altar in Sonora, Mexico, on the south. ”

“ Engineers are working to bring back into line 31 the massive walls of the mission and plan to reinforce the dome and portions of the fine facade which have recently fallen away.
Secret processes used in painting the murals are being utilized in restoring the walls of the structure. This process, recently discovered through research at the Smithsonian Institution, solves a problem artists have been attempting for years to achieve through the use of oil paint. ”

“ On each side of this central motif the corners of the octagonal apse are lined with elaborately carved and gilded columns and between them the niched figures of St. Peter and St. Paul. Surmounting the altar is the figure of God the Creator. The domed ceiling of the apse is embellished 27 with a shell—a motif frequently used in the decoration of the church. The side walls of the apse are painted with colorful frescoes: The Adoration of the Wise Men and The Flight Into Egypt (right wall) and the Adoration of the Shepherds and the Annunciation (left wall) . ”