San Xavier Mission

In my imagination, this church is really huge, epically huge. I think it has something to do with the white walls, the desert, the blue skies, the white clouds that the towers and dome kind of blend into if you look at it from the right angle.

This building must have been absolutely shocking to come up on in the 1800s.

And this was the first stop in a “project” I’m doing of photographing as many Catholic churches on our travels. What got me thinking about this is attending Mass at a Johannesburg area church. It is kind of interesting to me from a visual stand point. The churches here in South Africa are very different from the ones I’m used to in the San Luis Valley area of Colorado. The ones here are brick, and from what I’ve seen, have less color and stained glass in them. For me, the difference was huge. I’m not sure why, it is because the Catholic churches presence in South Africa is relatively new? Maybe.

But, for now, my real interest is the art and architecture and whether or not it can inform my photography and writing. On our recent trip to America, I decided to start the project and our stop was San Xavier of Wa:k.

I love that this church as a feeling to it, a reverence that touches you. It is the white washed walls in the desert, the towers, the dome… It looks like a church. Walk inside, and the space is cool and dark. The woodwork is stunning.

The ornate carvings and paintings are also symmetrical in this baroque style church. If there is a door on the right, then a painting of a matching door is on the left, angels, ropes, candles, all match from one side to the other.

Saints, the Stations of the Cross, the Virgin Mary, Saint Francis Xavier, they’re all represented in the art work. There were a couple of paintings on the wall: The Pentecost and The Last Supper; honestly, I felt those were the only pieces in the church that weren’t up to the standards of the rest of the building.

The colors were something that I found to be really interesting: gold, red, purple, green… but they were all darker shades. With the lack of windows, it added to the dark cool feeling in the space, especially when coming in from the Arizona sun. But, at the same time, the colors are warm and comforting…

You can feel it, the idea that the artists and architects were creating for a higher purpose. And when you step in, it feels like a church that is calling you to Mass. Next time I’m in Tucson, I need to make sure I’m there on a Sunday.

Check out the link on the top of the page to read more about this mission and it’s history.

For me, thinking about art, I’m struck by how much effort was put into the details and the work, the symbolism, the care. It is why sometimes I question the worth of my photography, I feel like it isn’t “difficult” enough. I observe, click, and do some post editing. I suppose working in a studio and doing staged shots may open up a different avenue.

The colors used inside the church, is something that really had me thinking about palettes and tones.

In terms of writing, the reverence for both religion and craft is something I can carry forward. Also, the symmetry and structure is something that can be synthesized in writing by using form, repetition, parallelism, etc.