Known as the Dove of the Desert, San Xavier del Bac near Tucson, Ariz., is the finest example of Mexican Baroque Catholic church architecture in the United States.

TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — San Xavier del Bac Mission is an 'Absolutely Arizona' story 225 years in the making. But it's actually an ever-changing story, thanks to ongoing renovations.

Until the COVID-19 pandemic, many tourists visited San Xavier. Docents showed them around the church and grounds, Minkel said, which made it feel more like a museum than a worship space.

Lewis grew up on the Tohono O'odham Nation and has always gone to mass at San Xavier. He has been doing restoration work on the church off and on since 1992. Now, it's a full-time job.

San Xavier del Bac is in the Tohono O’odham village of Wa:k — the village of water — 10 miles south of Tucson. According to Patronato, the Wa:k community was a large and significant ...

The exterior of San Xavier del Bac, a mission that dates back to the 1700s, will undergo a rehabilitation process to preserve the original plaster.

Mission San Xavier, designated as one of the first National Historic Landmarks in 1960, is an active parish that typically welcomes over 200,000 visitors a year. Visits inside the church are ...

The docent program is a child of the Patronato San Xavier, the 38-year-old nonprofit that sponsors restoration and preservation projects for the church, which is more than 200 years old.

Featured In Tucson, Hour 3 (#0603) Vintage Tucson (#2019) Event Tucson, AZ (June 09, 2001) Category Photographs Period 19th Century Form Autograph , Document , Log , Photograph Material Paper Prev ...