The site for the church was chosen by the Jesuit missionary Father Eusebio Kino in 1700, and named for his patron saint, St. Francis Xavier. Work on the present structure began about 1783. San Xavier was completed in 1797, and has been continuously in use since then, serving members of the Tohono O'Odham Nation. It is considered the finest example of mission architecture in the United States.
When you open the massive, carved mesquite-wood doors and enter San Xavier you are struck by two things; the soothing coolness of the interior, and the dazzling colors of the paintings carvings, frescoes and statues.
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I think my only criticism here is that I would like to see this shot more perfectly centered. The center line of the pews makes the photo look tilted, even though it's not.
This gets dark in spots but overall has a nice composition and depth. It seems the photographer wanted to include the paintings and positioned the shot from farther back to do so, which would have worked better if the paintings had produced more detail with the pews to the left and right. But overall this is a charming photograph with rich color. Nice work.
Great composition! Unfortunately, it looks like the last 3 rows of pews fell victim to your flash, which detracts from the picture. Would it have been possible to compensate in some way, using existing light? (I have the same problem in churches!)
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