Mission San Xavier del Bac is situated in the Sana Cruz Valley nine miles south of Tucson Arizona. Whether your interests lie in religion, history or art, the Mission is an attraction you don’t want to miss when visiting Tucson and Southern Arizona. It is a magnet to those who appreciate art, statues, sculptures and paintings of these original times.

From the earliest times, the Tohono O'odham Indian settlement, in which the Mission is located, was called Bac "place where the water appears" because the Santa Cruz River, which ran underground for some distance reappears on the surface nearby.

The celebrated Jesuit missionary and explorer, Father Eusebio Francisco Kino, first visited Bac in 1692. Eight years later in 1700, Father Kino laid the foundations of the first church, some two miles north of the present site of the Mission. He named it San Xavier in honor of his chosen patron, St. Francis Xavier, the illustrious Jesuit "Apostle of the Indies."

In 1768, Fray Francisco Hermengildo Garces, established his headquarters at San Xavier. From here this Franciscan Friar set forth on his many missionary explorations.

The present church was built from 1783 - 1797 by the Franciscan Fathers Juan Bautista Velderrain and Juan Bautista Llorenz. Little is know about the actual labor of the construction of the church, who was the architect, who were the artisans, but many believe it was the Tohono O'odham Indians who fufilled these roles. Why was the one tower apparently never completed is still a mystery to this day.

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 Mexico 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 archs that create onclaves for themes of painted frescos in the various walls, domes and rooms. The fescos on the walls are all original, but over time have needed to be touched up. Time and the harsh desert weather have taken a toll on the church and the entire mission complex. Xavier has been called the “Sistine Chapel of the New World” and in fact, the same Italian artists that worked on the Sistine Chapel also came to San Xavier to help restore the interior to its original brilliance.