Monday, November 16, 2009

The doors and beauty of San Xavier del Bac


I took these photos at dusk on a full moon night at San Xavier del Bac in Tucson, Arizona.

The church is often called the White Dove of the Desert.

The church is located on Indian lands and it is an active church and a doorway to many goals and aspirations.

The night I was there, I shared Indian frybread with locals and waited for the moon to rise and the processional to occur.

It was a special night as a patron saint was going to be carried out of the church around the open area in front of the church. There was fireworks, music, and the bells were clanging.

It was quite a nice event and I felt very privileged to be able to experience it.

The first photos shows the church with the moon way above it and some stars, but I love the blue sky and the church bathed in the unusual blue.

The second photo is of the front doors of the church. You can see they are very colorful and detailed.

The third photo is the front doors that are open and mass is occurring inside. It is just before the Bishop and the patron saint and worshipers and musicians come out into the open space to walk once around the front yard.

We have travel photos of colorful Murano, Italy at Viva la Voyage!

9 comments:

Sharon said...

This is such a beautiful place to visit at any time of day. This occasion must have been very special.

brattcat said...

A lovely set of three images from what sounds like an inspiring night.

glenda said...

Perfect timing to be at that beautiful mission with all the activities going on. The night time picture is really beautiful.

Lois said...

Beautiful pictures Julie! I love Indian frybread.

Teresa Bitler said...

I love the lighting in the first photo. The last time I was at San Xavier, they were still working on the facade. Your photos inspired me to visit again!

Jilly said...

How absolutely fabulous. Thanks for the beautiful shots. Must have been amazing.

Chin said...

Won wonderful place,
Love blue sky under the moon light.

Unknown said...

Spectacular! This sounds like a wonderful place to visit. I'm hoping to take a photography trip to Tucson in the next year or two, will have to keep this in mind.

Thank you for sharing!

Frank said...

I love this series of the mission. Its location makes it hard for most people to ever visit but it sure is worth it. Thank you for taking us back.

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