Mission San José

In 1720, a small group of Spanish priests and settlers constructed the Mission San José y San Miguel de Aguayo in San Antonio, Texas.

At the time, Texas was a Spanish colony, and the missions were the center of religious and civic life in the New World.

Mission San Jose

Today, though still an active Catholic church, the mission is one of four historic missions in the Spanish Missions National Historical Park, operated by the US National Park Service.

In all, San Antonio is home to five missions along the Mission Trail, the most famous of which being the Alamo.

One of the most famous parts of the mission is the "Rose Window". The story behind the beautifully carved window is debated; some say the artist carved it to honor his fiance who was lost at sea on the way from Spain to Texas, and others say it's to honor Saint Rose.

the Rose Window

Another fascinating part of the building is the small segment of wall that still shows some of the original brightly colored tiles that once covered the church in red, blue, and yellow patterns.

remnants of the original tiles

It was the last day of our Texas road trip. We had time for one last sight to see before heading back up to Dallas.

church entrance

There are four missions in the Spanish Missions NHP, but we only had time for one. We chose San José because it's supposed to be the most impressive of the four, and it's where the visitor's center is. Too bad it wasn't a Sunday - the church holds a "Mariachi Mass" each week! I would have liked to have seen that.

inside the church sanctuary

Though it had been cool for the last few days, it was hot under the bright sun out at the Mission. We didn't have much time to explore, but we spent a few minutes to look around and take some photos of the courtyard and surrounding areas.

mission courtyard

We were soon back on the road heading north, ready for our next adventure!

mission gardens