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| Funding
for San
Xavier’s construction was depleted just
before the east tower was
finished. Today, the east tower and a
few of the interior paintings
remain unfinished, though the east
tower’s exposed adobe brick has been
plastered over since the beginning of
the 20th century. (UA Special
Collections Library) |
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| The church that stands today
was begun sometime
around 1783, led by the Franciscan Juan Bautista
de Velderrain. Though
not fully completed, construction stalled around
1797 when funds became
scarce, leaving some portions of the interior
artwork and the east
tower unfinished. After a period of abandonment
following the Mexican
War of Independence, the Mission has survived a
major earthquake and
lightning strikes. A series of building and
“restoration” campaigns
have modified the compound over the intervening
centuries, but the
Mission church itself, along with its exquisite
interior artwork have
remained largely intact and well preserved. |
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| The
altar in 1928, prior to
restoration.(Library of Congress) |
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Following decades of relative
stability at San
Xavier, Mexico gained independence from Spain in
1821, drastically
cutting back and eventually eliminating
financial and military support
at the Mission. Instability in the region due to
slim resources and
regular Apache raiding caused the Franciscans to
leave San Xavier in
1837.
During the ensuing
decades, Tohono O’odham residents continued to
protect the church,
despite its status as “abandoned.” Numerous
accounts, many from 49ers
passing through on the way to California,
describe tracking down Tohono
O’odham villagers, who held the keys to the
church, in order to see
inside. Though the building was in a
deteriorated state by the time the
Catholic Church resumed a presence there, many
of the statues and
religious artifacts were kept safe by O’odham
villagers and returned
when the church resumed its function. |
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The Gadsden Purchase of 1853
placed the Mission
on U.S. soil and also split the traditional
lands of the Tohono O’odham
between the United States and Mexico. From 1858
to 1866 San Xavier was
overseen by the Diocese of Santa Fe. Visits by
priests were infrequent,
but the church was identified as worthy of
repair and restoration to be
used again for services.
In
1866, Jean Baptiste Salpointe was stationed in
Tucson and more regular
visits resumed at San Xavier. In 1873 nuns of
the religious order of
St. Joseph of Carondelet took up residence at
the Mission in the
Convento wing, to start a school.
In 1874, the first “Papago
Indian Reservation” was created (Papago was the
name the Spanish used for the Tohono O’odham). |
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| During
his
renovation of the Mission, Bishop
Granjon left one of the original
finials in place, for historic record.
(Bernard Fontana Personal
Archive) |
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| View
of San
Xavier from the south east after Bishop
Granjon's restoration was
completed in 1910. (UA Special
Collections Library) |
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| Bishop Henry Granjon led the
first extensive repair
and renovation campaign at San Xavier del Bac in
the early 20th
century, setting out to “restore the former
glory” of the church. Due
to the Mission’s deteriorated state, the work
stretched on years longer
than anticipated with Granjon supplying funding
from his personal
account as the costs continued to grow. The
ambitious campaign, begun
around 1906, included completely replastering
the exterior, including
the East Tower which, until then, had been left
as exposed brick.
The exterior walls around the cemetery and
Mortuary Chapel were
rebuilt, and a new front wall, an addition to
the Convento wing, and an
auto court around back, were all part of
Granjon’s alterations. Adding
a personal touch, the original finials were
replaced with new ones with a
slimmer profile, and the indistinct figures
abutting the pedestals for
the finials on the parapets were enriched with
cast lion’s heads. |
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| San
Xavier after
the earthquake of 1887 and prior to the
commencement of Bishop
Granjon's restoration in 1906. (UA
Special Collections Library) |
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Beginning in 1939, when a
lightning bolt struck
the lantern of the West Tower, architect Eleazar
Herreras began work at
San Xavier that would include its second largest
renovation and
“restoration” campaign to date. Working closely
with Fr. Celestine
Chinn through the late 1950’s, Herreras’s
campaign included a complete
“restoration” of the ornamental façade portal
that surrounds the
Mission’s front door and a total re-working of
the façade of the
Convento. A product of its time, the renovation
included re-plastering
the church and façade with cement-based plaster.
The work was
thoughtfully documented in a report with
accompanying annotated
photographs recording specific plaster recipes
and details about the
guiding philosophy behind the team’s approach.
The Mission was designated a
National Landmark in 1963.
[Photo from Herreras Campaign] |
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| A
page from a
photo album documenting the 1950's
restoration campaign showing the
south facade, east tower, and facade
panel. Included is a recipe for
the "Cactus Juice Formula" used in the
restoration.(Bernard Fontana
Personal Archive) |
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| The nonsectarian nonprofit
group Patronato San
Xavier was formed in 1978 in response to the
poor condition resulting from years
of accumulated dust, soot, and water damage. To
date, the Patronato has supported the extensive
conservation of the interior and exterior of the
Mission including
routine cleaning and stabilization of the
interior artwork, statuary,
and wooden elements, and the complete removal of
incompatible
cement-based finishes from the exterior in favor
of traditional,
lime-based stucco. The group continues to
support ongoing conservation
work at the Mission, including routine
maintenance and care. |
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