Mission San Francisco De La Espada Catholic Church

This is a beautiful facility that really shows the incredible design put into the missions. There was no one else there when we visited except 2 tan dogs that said hi and kept going. (They were friendly) It was especially nice to be there at sundown.

Absolutely stunning historical site, the architecture is beautiful, the grounds are well kept, and there is a gift shop and mini museum on-site. The church is still in service as well, I believe each missions is still functioning every weekend for Mass.

Nice monument to time with an active small town surrounding it. A beautiful little garden surrounds the church.

Loved this, it is an active church as all the missions are but we could go inside this 1 and the feeling of peace was lovely

Almost 300 years of history, come experience living history and connect with the past. Visually my favorite Mission of the 4 in town.

✝️ Peaceful, Quiet Sanctuary ✝️ Mission Espada feels like the smallest of the Missions. It's a serene space populated with lush green grass, coiling trees, and many opportunities for repose. Some of my favorite family photos were taken at this spot, with its tranquil benches, vibrant potted plant-life, and rustic stonework. The silhouette of the Mission against the sky--complete with its bells--is lovely to behold. There's a gift shop on-site, for those wishing to take home a memento of their Mission pilgrimages, as well as restrooms for convenience. I visited around Christmastime and enjoyed the festive flourishes that decorated the grounds.

Beautiful historic mission. I recommend planning about 1 hour per mission visit, two hours if you take advantage of the Tour guide option at the San José Mission. Beautiful Catholic active church mission.

This was the first mission we stopped at. It was by far my favorite, just something about the history and the feel of the church. It was very quiet and peaceful after the rain. If you can't make it to all of the missions, I feel this is a must stop before you leave San Antonio.