January Journey, Part 3 - San Xavier del Bac

                                                                      He looks around, around

                                                              He sees angels in the architecture

                                                                          Spinning in infinity

                                                              He says "Amen!" and "Hallelujah!"

                                                                                       -- Paul Simon, You Can Call Me Al

About 10 miles south of downtown Tucson, there's an amazing structure called "The White Dove of the Desert":  the mission church -- cathedral, really -- of San Xavier del Bac, built while George Washington was president of the fledgling United States.  

Bruce and I took a break from photographing Saguaro cactus to visit the church (still in use) and photograph its Spanish Baroque interior, as well as a few exteriors.

I visited and photographed the church four years ago.  You can read about the church's history and construction, and see my earlier images, by clicking here.

The sheer size of the church and the interior architecture are impressive.

      

And you can't help but look up!

But the most stunning aspect is the Baroque riot of religious iconography throughout the sanctuary:  angels, cherubs, saints, priests, and others depicted in fresco, bas relief, and statues.

This is the main altar and its centerpiece:

There are cherubs everywhere!

Then statues of saints and priests.  This one from the main altar is St. Francis Xavier:

This is one of many depictions of Christ:

Others, not identified by me:

And not all are men . . .

This eye-catching statue is the Virgin of the Assumption . . .

Interesting to me were the many faces -- usually frescoes -- surrounding the statues.  For example, take a closer look behind the Virgin of the Assumption:

And there are more, hiding almost everywhere around bas relief curtains and the edges of frescoes:

Most joyful to me, however, were the peasant girl "angels in the architecture" painted on the ceilings and walls:

If you are interested in all the iconography -- identifying the saints, etc. -- there is a book published by the University of Arizona Press entitled Mission San Xavier del Bac: A Guide to Its Iconography.  It isn't cheap ($75), but you can see a few pages of its diagrams for free by clicking here. 

If you'd like to see these images (and more) in a larger format, please visit my photography website, Todos Juntos Photography, by clicking here.

Enjoy!