Mission San Francisco De La Espada Catholic Church

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.

It is great to experience the rich history of San Antonio from the earliest Spanish explorations to Mexican rule and the Texas Republic.

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.

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

This is a great site preserved as much as possible with a full functioning, active parrish. Free to all.

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.

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.

I had a few extra hours in San Antonio and visited several of the mission churches. While this one didn't take a long time to tour, I felt the church and the surroundings were so beautiful. The Spanish influence here was very apparent and the small garden next to the church was spectacular. If you actually came to the church to commune, this church was perfect, small and quiet and a lovely space to just spend some time. Even thought this one was sort of the end of the path, I wouldn't skip this mission church.

An easy drive from downtown San Antonio, I stopped in on a Sunday afternoon and got to enjoy the contrast between the church and the sky! Stunning and well preserved. It's small, though stunning. The parks service has a bathroom on site, which is nice.

There isn't a ton to see at Mission Espada, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't stop by if you have the time. One of Five original missions in San Antonio, Mission Espada is rarely mentioned in the same sentence as The Alamo, which is another of the five missions. For this reason, there is far less foot traffic at Mission Espada, which gives you the feeling of peering into the past as you experience the quiet and tranquility of the area. You can see a bit of what you can experience at Mission Espada on our travel channel: https://youtu.be/rTklOoxgI4M

The smallest mission in the San Antonio Mission Park and the furthest south. The grounds and buildings are beautiful, and the chapel with the three bells is how I pictured a mission. Of all five missions in San Antonio, I thought the grounds and outside of the buildings were the most picturesque. Plenty of free parking. Loved the setting in the mission park, even though you are in the middle of town town, the green belt created makes you feel like you are in a different place entirely. We were here on a weekend morning and it wasn't crowded at all.

Mission San Francisco de los Tejas (original name) was founded in 1690 and is one of the 5 UNESCO World Heritage site missions in Texas. As you approach it from the parking lot, you can't help but think back to the time of the Spanish Monks and native inhabitants of Texas working together to build this peaceful site. One of the really fascinating items still in use is the acequia and aqueduct still in use that helped irrigate this dry plain. We are still moving dirt to quench the thirst of Texas almost 330 years later. The chapel is still used somewhat to this day and is worth taking some time to admire it. Although a lot of what you see is from reconstructions, it does feel like it still captures its original mission. There is a small gift shop and worth spending some time in it. They do have some drinks if needed. The staff are friendly and love to share information.

Beautifully maintained buildings and grounds. Make sure you go into the church if mass is not being held. This church is open all the time. It's a smaller church than the rest of the missions, but it is breathtaking inside - don't forget how old these missions are. It's really incredible that they are still standing and more importantly still a working church with regular mass schedules.

This is an amazing church. It was built in the17th century. I visited here in the 21st century! The admission is free. The Missions is not a theme park or amusement park. However, we can learn history. I Googled the Missions. I learned history and San Antonio! Please visit and learn history. We are proud of San Antonio Missions!

My husband and I visited for our anniversary. It was a beautiful place with a beautiful history. We will do the missions again for sure.

This mission is beautiful. I came out for a baptism and was able to attend the service in the church. The church is small and intimate (read: very small) but it's beautiful and full of charm and history. It also has A/C, which I really appreciated. I plan to go back to really explore all the grounds, when the weather cools down a little bit. I think it would be a great place to take friends and visitors from out of town, so they can explore the mission and get a sense of San Antonio history without all the craziness downtown.

It would be a bold statement to call the Mission San Francisco de la Espada the best mission in San Antonio. This is, of course, because the Alamo is its most famous of the five missions, and Mission San José is referred to as "The Queen of the Missions" as to its the mission that's most in tact ... as well it still has a working garden that grows veggies that go to those in need. Still, there is something about Espada. Maybe it's how the church stands, almost alone, looking like the strong remaining vestige of a once thriving mission. Maybe it's the quiet elegance that makes you really feel like you're in a 18th century Spanish mission. Maybe its the irregularly arched doorway that still brings mystery as to when it was built and why. Maybe it's because the church is its centerpiece: very quiet, very intimate, very dramatic with its religious statues and paintings. Maybe it's the historic acequias (the irrigation system designed to provide water for crops), the most in-tact remaining system from that era. Maybe it's because of the placement of two bells, a centered window and the door that make Espada look like a face. Whatever the case, it's a beautiful mission with stunning visuals. Of course, you should see all 5 missions, as they are all UNESCO World Heritage Sites and tell an overarching story of the early settlements in San Antonio. Remember the Alamo ... but also Remember the Espada!

Museum and church were open. Gift shop was closed. Did not see any employee in the museum, but everything was well marked & self-explanatory. The church is small & lovely. Flowers on the grounds were beautiful. Informative signage for each section was in English and Spanish. It will take you a little less than an hour to visit and take in all that this mission has to offer.

This is the southern most mission in San Antonio. I like this one because of it's still rural setting. This is a beautiful mission with beautiful grounds. Nice to stroll around and relax. This mission was not rebuilt as some of the others have been so still has that ancient ruins feel. The little chapel is beautiful and is still utilized for regular church services. The church was completed in 1756. (20 years before the US got their independence from England). If you visit on the weekend stop by Canticle Hot Glass Studio and look at the beautiful glass art available for purchase. Just down the road is the Espada Aqueduct. The aqueduct was completed in 1745. It is a 15 mile long system that irrigates 3500 acres of land. It is still in use today. Back then the Spanish were into water conservation and the unused water is returned to the river. There is a nice hike/bike trail that connect the mission to the aqueduct. Take a day, step back in time and experience history San Antonio style.

I walked the mission trail on my recent visit to San Antonio, and was able to visit all four of the missions (five if you count The Alamo that I visited the day before). I was very impressed with the way the park service has preserved the churches and kept them restored and viewable for the public. The park rangers were very helpful and informative at each of the locations and were able to provide me with trail maps and advice for my trek. Although it would have been easier to drive between all of them, I do recommend walking if you can, because the river is beautiful and the trail is well done to keep you connected to nature.

The southern most mission on the mission trail, Mission Espada was our first stop on the mission trail (from south to north). While there is not as much to see as compared to the other missions, Mission Espada does have a Church that is still in operation, a resident Franciscan (who also seems to be a keen gardener) and is home to Canticle Hot Glass Studio (http://www.yelp.com/biz/canticle-hot-glass-studio-san-antonio). I'm glad we were able to able to peek inside the Church as it gave what I think was a nice look into the past. Later on this trip we visited the Espada Aqueduct, which was an impressive feat to get water to this location.

My last stop on the Mission Trail, Mission Espada was not as impressive as the other missions, but it definitely had its charm. The grounds are not as extensive as the other missions (maybe with the exception of Concepcion), but the gnarled tree in the middle of the courtyard is magnificent and was probably one of my fav features of this mission. The mission itself is tiny, but has a pretty alter and facade. The flowers adorning the convent quarters were gorgeous! There are some neat and informative displays in the visitor center. I would definitely save this one as either the first or last stop on the Missions Trail.

Awesome place loved going to mass my family and I went together. Brings peace to my heart

I loved them all but this was my favorite. I could feel God's presence here and could have stayed here all day just walking the grounds and sitting in the beautiful, serene church. Beautiful, peaceful, exactly what I needed after some stress filled work weeks. Maybe I loved this so much because we came here second after the crowded, noisy San Jose. It was such a contrast to that...a welcome contrast! This place spoke to me, and soothed my soul. There is so much history here, and there were hardly any crowds; in fact, I think at one time we were the only people there! The people were so friendly and welcoming, and I could have stayed here all day, and would love to go back again! This was my favorite and if you only visit one of the missions (not sure why you would, as they are all amazing), make it this one!

We went on a little pilgrimage trail walk/ride on the San Antonio Mission Trail. We started out from the furthest out mission here at Mission San Francisco de la Espada. Park Office with restrooms opens at 10:00 am to 5:00pm daily except for Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year's Day. This is a small but very nice mission. The Mission Church has been operating since it's move from East Texas in 1731. As such, when you visit this compound, you need to be cognizant of worship schedule at the church not to disturb their religious observances. Next to the church is the residences of the Franciscan brothers and visiting priests with nice Spanish architecture. It may be fun for you to imagine for a minute how the life was like as you take your time and stroll around this compound. This is especially enjoyable early in the morning when it's still cool and quiet as the San Antonio sun can beat down on you and the temperatures rise up very rapidly as the day goes by. There are some ruins/footings of older church building, granaries, and other resident quarters along the exterior walls of the compound. This is the start/finish point of the San Antonio Mission Trail. We left here and walked along the San Antonio River to the next destination, Mission San Jose about 2 miles away. That was a very nice fun day.

A perfect day in late February saw us doing the Mission trail, and good luck had us start at Espada -- with its quiet, rural setting, there is still a sense of history rather than a "tourist site." There were very few other people there, no buses, no busy tourists, very much a feeling of respect for sacred space and for the living and the pain that had touched the grounds. Others have described the quiet beauty of the little chapel, still very much a working church. Franciscans live on the grounds, one of whom is a master gardener and his handiwork shows even now in late winter. Not much by way of museum -- if you want that, head on to San Juan where a great film awaits. But for me, this is the Mission to which I will return.

The entire Mission Trail is amazing, but we loved the Mission Espada. There was almost no one here as most of the tourists must have been at The Alamo. So much the better for us! They have done a great job at preserving and maintain these historic buildings. We loved walking around the peaceful grounds and admiring the architecture. And since this is away from the downtown, we enjoyed a nice drive in the country.

Of the 4 missions making up San Antonio's Mission NHP this mission is furthest from San Antonio . This mission was founded on another site in 1690, which makes it the first mission in Texas. It was moved to it's present site around 1731, and the church you see today was done in 1756. This site shares a ranger with the closest mission near by San Juan due to the federal budget cuts. So the ranger station is not always open. Wherever the ranger is, the ranger station at that site will be open. So if you collect national park stamps in your passport, don't fret, each site has stamps for the other missions. So you can fill your book with lots of ink.

This was our third stop on the mission tour. This was our absolute favorite. A very small church and grounds. The church was very nice inside and had some amazing statues and a special crucifix with a relic from the pope.

As part of our San Antonio area mission tour we stopped at Mission Espada which is one of the smaller ones in the area. When we arrived the mission was empty unlike some of the others we had been to before. That being said we ran into a volunteer historian who took a lot of time to give us the history behind the mission, especially why parts of it weren't finished. At the time of our trip the church was under construction but the historian actually gave us access to the guard room where the mission residents would stand and fire their weapons from to protect themselves. In the end, this wasn't the most spectacular mission on our tour but between the history and the staff working here, we thoroughly enjoyed it and would love to come back after construction on the church has ended.

This was the first mission we visited of the day. I was persuaded by a friend to go see the San Antonio missions and I am glad I did. We saw Mission Espada and Mission San Jose before heading up to the Alamo. All four of the NHP missions still function as churches do Sunday mass, so we weren't able to go inside the actual church. We visited Sunday morning. However, we took many pictures outside. Once you step through those entry doors, you will feel like you have stepped backwards into history. There was one display board with some information in front of the area. Free parking is available in front of the mission. We were able to easily find a spot even though church was going on at the same time.

The serenity of this compound allowed me to envision the robot life of a truly active village. So peaceful her as it shares a place on the banks of the San Antonio river. Nature allowing humanity to sit with her.

I had no idea that San Antonio preserved so much of its history. This small mission is tucked away into a now residential area. It is not overrun with tourists like the much larger Mission San Jose, which allows you to stop and appreciate the experience. It really is a peaceful place. The cathedral is small but beautiful and still hosts what appears to be a close-knit church community. The rangers at the visitor center are also very helpful and patient, even with the most oblivious of visitors (like us). The ranger we spoke to gave us step-by-step instructions on how to get to Mission San Jose and gave us a valuable tip: unless you like crowds, stay away from Mission Concepcion until the afternoon.

This was the last Mission I saw on my drive around San Antionio, and while it was on the smaller side it's still very much worth the visit. The ruins around the mission are much more worn down compared to others (especially San Jose) but if you have visited all three before this one you can get an appreciation for what it once looked like. The cathedral is also much smaller than the Mission Concepcion and San Jose (though I don't know how the inside of the Mission San Juan looked like). It's still very nice - we visited over the Christmas holidays and there was a very nice nativity up front and to the side to enjoy. While there is less to do at this Mission than any other it was a nice way to round off our tours of the Missions, and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the history of San Antonio.

Whoever doesn't give this place 5 stars is seriously out of their mind. Had an opportunity to witness a 15 year party a young girl. Was funny because visitors kept tryin to enter the festivities in chapel

It's pretty amazing to think about the time when the Spanish built Mission Espada. The culture with the Natives and the dangers of the unfriendly. Some of the grounds are in ruins, yet the chapel as been magnificently restored. The stones and the stone work are beautiful. The aqueduct up the road that was built to irrigate crops as the Spanish transformed the Native Indians from foragers to farmers is pretty amazing feat considering the time and resources available to these people in the 18th century. You just have to try and transport your mind to these origins of Texas. So unique, so special for Texas to have these wonderful historical structures and cultures so well preserved. Highly recommend you taking the time to soak in all the Missions on the San Antonio River.

I came here on Sunday when there was a service in Spanish and a market outside. There were plenty people here. An awesome place to visit. If you can, swing by Espada Aqua Dam on the way to Mission San Juan, it is not mentioned anywhere, but interesting to have quick stop.

The mission is currently under renovation, but you can still walk the grounds.

The mission that was the farthest outpost from city center is probably the most utilitarian. There is beauty in its simplicity. The rangers and volunteers were the friendliest of all the missions. Thinking about what life was like back in the day here conjures thoughts of just surviving. I am sure by looking at the architecture, the inhabitants had their hands full just making it through the day rather than spending time on elaborate buildings. We started here and worked our way back to the city. That worked well as we were closer to the city when lunch time came.

This was the last Mission the wife, and I visited out here on our little tour which was delayed due to the weather. Reason being is that we made it all the way Mission San Juan, and it started to rain hard on us as we arrived to where we had to get a taxi to take us all the way back to the Riverwalk. I'm glad that it happened that way since it allowed us some time to take a look at Mission San Francisco, and take a few pictures of the outside as well as the inside. The grounds are kept well, but I will say for the way it looks even with the mounds of what used to be walls it gives you a picture in your mind of how big it potentially was. If you do get time to do the Mission trail I would recommend taking out the bikes, and riding them since its a good way to get active, in seeing the surrounding areas.

Yet another lovely, historical mission. However, be aware that they apparently close at 4:30, not 5:00. We barely made it into the church when we were told in typical, friendly, government employee style that he was locking up the building. He seemed annoyed when I questioned him as to his closing 20 minutes early. We never did make it to the visitors' center because he had closed that first.

Let's just say I had a good time with a special person one day we will meet again it was scary cause it was the thought of you getting caught by park rangers especially after work

Very peaceful and on the Mission tour. This Mission is fairly small and does not large and does not take that long to walk around. One can relax and take their time to enjoy the surroundings.

This is one of my favorite places to visit when the the weather is great. My daughter loves to explore the grounds. The chapel and the ruins are breathtaking. We usually pack us a picnic and take the bikes out. This is a great part of the Mission Bike Trail. Shady and less populated than most parts. It's a great way to spend a sunny day.

Definitely a place to check out if you're in the San Antonio area. It's amazing how San Antonio preserves so much of its history. Afterwards, I stopped by their gift shop. The business card reads: El Cantico Gift Shop. It was a tiny shop with beautiful statues. I purchases a small statue of Michael the Archangel. Sales person was very friendly and knowledgeable. FYI, they accept credit cards.

Of all the places I visited in San Antonio this is without a doubt my favorite! I was overwhelmed with the beauty of the city and this mission is a must see for sure.

We were fortunate enough to be able to visit San Antonio. Hubby and I rented a car and went to the Missions. Mission Espada was beautiful and it was my favorite of the missions. What a beautiful place. We were here in August and it was HOT HOT HOT, but so very worth it. The whole mission drive was beautiful and I recommend it.

If you're on the Mission Trail, don't pass up Espada! Although it's the farthest from downtown, it's only a 5-minute drive from Mission San Jose, the visitor center, and you'll be glad you did. It's definitely not as ornate as San Jose, but the chapel at Espada is incredibly soothing and the mission itself is in great condition. There's a neat little museum there that explains Espada's role in the missions and has some of the old ranching tools and brands on display.