The Mortuary Chapel at Mission San Xavier del Bac in Pima County, #Arizona. The mission was named for Francis Xavier, a Christian missionary and co-founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuit Order) in Europe. San Xavier was founded as a Catholic #mission by Father Eusebio Kino in 1692 when Southern Arizona was part of New Spain. Construction of the current church began in 1783 under #Franciscan missionary Fr. Juan Bautista Velderrain and was completed in 1797. Following Mexican independence in 1821, San Xavier became part of #Mexico. The last resident Franciscan of the nineteenth century departed in 1837. With the Gadsden Purchase of 1854, the Mission joined the United States. The Franciscans returned to the Mission in 1913. Since the early 1990s, the #church has been undergoing restoration to conserve the murals and the building envelope itself. The oldest intact European structure in Arizona, the church's interior is filled with marvelous original statuary and mural paintings. The Mission was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1960 and listed on the @nationalregisternps in 1966. In 2016, the mission was added to the @worldmonumentsfund's list of historical sites at risk from the forces of nature and human influence. This amazing mission only nine miles south of Tucson, is free to visit and tour. #az #azhistory #SpreadTheHistory #historygirl #architecture #archi_ologie #travelblog #travelblogger #blog #blogger #exploreaz #history #missionsanxavier #sanxavier #pimacounty #explore #tucsonaz #worldmonumentsfund #southernarizona #catholicchurch #nrhp #nationalhistoriclandmark #mortuarychapel #bells #chapel (at San Xavier Mission) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0M2LRWnN9X/?igshid=1v79drt7ioabm
