Mission San Xavier del Bac....

...."the only remaining intact mission in Arizona, and considered to be the finest example of Mexican Baroque architecture in the United States."
We visited the mission this morning and I was taken by both the beauty of the architecture on the outside, and the very ornate interior. This picture is of part of the ceiling, which was recently restored. The church itself was begun in 1783 after a Franciscan priest borrowed 7,000 pesos from a rancher to begin its' construction. The villagers from Bac worked together to build the church over the next 14 years. Eventually-- by the late 1960's-- the church had fallen into disrepair, so funds were raised and restoration on the mission church began in 1978. It remains a working church with weekly services. I've put a picture of the outside of it in my extras, as well as a picture of the altar area. Following the Mission we drove to the Desert Museum and spent a few hours taking photos of hummingbirds, flowers, cactus, etc.before heading to our hotel to check in. This evening we met up with our fellow blippers for the start of our Big blipmeet! So great to see everyone again!! :))