Beautiful and historic Church located in one of San Antonios famous missions. A must see. Light a candle.
Beautiful historic church. This is a great place to take pictures. Make sure to use the restroom before you get there. No public restroom.
This was a true experience this mission is simply gorgeous very quaint and it has a beautiful beautiful garden setting anyone would truly enjoy. This was very inspirational. I had the pleasure of attending a 16th Birthday Mass celebration. I recommend people go and enjoy the scenery and the church.Sincerely Ms Barrientes
Absolutely wonderful and beautiful mission, the chapel was absolutely beautiful! A very serene and calm place to visit, the experience was lovely. A true hidden gem in San Antonio.
A beautiful experience.The Gift shop is exceptional !The Mission church ....is aPeaceful setting to sit, andMeditate ....with a meaningfulPrayer to make your day !
This Mission has the most colorful history of the 6 San Antonio missions. Much of the history is portrayed by the NPS signage around the grounds, but the much of the story can only be learned from the archives or a guide who is familiar with local history. The Acequia is worth a look, as is the modern Tree of Life sculpture. Descendants of the original first citizens of New Spain (native indians) still attend mass at the church in this mission.
Great time exploring. Rock walls are beautiful and the main church is great for photos.
I am very grateful to the deacon and priest they celebrated a wonderful mass for my father-in-law.
They got a big tree next to the church that you can meditate under. Very relaxing out there.
Another beautiful place to visit. Dont forget to come here if youre visiting all missions.
Really reminds you of what a small mission must have been like back in the old days. No crowds. Peaceful. Picturesque. We rented those Dock Bikes here for $12/day. Same price with or without electric assist. Both worked well. Was pleased that the electric assist was pleasantly intuitive. You still pedal--it just makes it easier.
Magnificent! The smallest of the Missions but my favorite.
Loved it here with my family.
Great place to visit, go to church, learn, and share with family. We started our bicycle your of all the San Antonio missions here and rode up to the Alamo. While I cycle frequently my family does not. You should be a bit active to be able to make the whole journey, but its not too bad if you stop and hang out along the way. We brought snacks and went in late spring. Oh and did I forget to mention sun block?
Great historical place to visit. A must stop on the mission trail
Nice place to take the kids. They can learn about how Native Americans.
Came to Mission San Francisco De Espada for the 10:00 AM Spanish Mass, the sermon was uplifting with Snoopy and Charlie Brown as the messenger of hope vs negative; talk about easy to understand.
Takes you back in time, when things were simpler.
Need to have the churchs open on sunday
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. Its a smaller church than the rest of the missions, but it is breathtaking inside - dont forget how old these missions are. Its really incredible that they are still standing and more importantly still a working church with regular mass schedules.
This was good to walk around. Not a whole lot of literature of the place. Connects to the riverwalk. Minimal shade and bathrooms. Great hour or excursion.
What a lovely quiet historic site! My family with kids aged 4, 7, and 17 visited the mission and spent around two hours wandering around the grounds. We were so lucky that a volunteer spent time teaching the kids and myself how to spin yarn. Such a simple gesture that meant so much to us.
Nice little church with enchanted mood
Nice place to visit, I went early, the gift was not open yet.
The church and the grounds are really nice and peaceful. There are wind chimes in the background I enjoyed walking here very much. I recommend comig here it reminds me of scenes from Cowboy movies.
Nice small historical site bring your biles to else the trail, walk your dog or have a picnic
One of the Mission on the Mission trail. You can take a bike tour from San Antonio. Very interesting place. Nice for kids to learn history fast
Love the missions
The place is very beautiful, has a very spacious space with gardens
This historical site is a hidden jewel in San Antonio. The church is magnificent and the layout of the mission grounds give you a sense of what it was like to live there so long ago.
It was where i was baptised 67 years ago. Its beautiful!
I recommend starting here if you are interested in walking or biking The Mission Trail. It gives you the ability of seeing all 4 missions, excluding The Alamo with a little shorter ride.
Beautiful location. Nice grounds and is very quiet. The church can be visited and is beautiful too. You can enjoy a nice walk in the fields. Parking is ample. Here begins the mission trail, and can be visited by bike.
Went there with my family and husband,I really enjoyed the history lesson.
Scenic except the public restrooms are closed.
Nice little Mission south of San Anonio, Texas
Texas History and its nice that with donations and care, these building were preserved for us to learn about. Free entry, but like any publicly funded project, these types of places can always use your donations, so do your part to help, as any little bit helps.
As I have said in my other reviews, you should really skip the Alamo if you want to see some really cool missions. I had never been to this one before and Im glad I came. Let me preface by saying that this mission is very small. However, the structural Integrity of the main church is very well kept. The grounds were also very quiet as there was hardly any people around. The greenery is also fantastic. There were a lot of beautiful plants and flowers around the grounds. Like all the other missions, theres a lot of open space where it tends to get very hot. You will probably spend about 30 minutes here just walking the grounds and reading over the signage. Also be sure to admire the church facade itself. Although we didnt buy anything, the people in the gift shop were also extremely friendly.
Great place to visit. Take the family.
2019 loved all the missions very spiritually motivating
Mission Espada is one of the 5 frontier missions built by Spanish missionaries in the early 18th century and now designated as UNESCO heritage sites. Found in 1690 as Mission San Francisco de los Tejas, it was the oldest church in Texas, but the current church was built in 1731 after the mission relocated to the present location. It is the most remote of the 5 missions, being 9 miles south of the Alamo. Thanks to the remoteness, Mission Espada and Mission San Juan (the nearest mission to Mission Espada) are quieter and less crowded than the other 3 missions (Alamo, Mission Concepcion, Mission San Jose), offering visitors a more intimate experience. While the exterior of the church looks old and barren, the interior was surprisingly well-restored and even air-conditioned! The mission compound has a couple of interesting buildings and ruins. There is also a small information center and washrooms.For those travelling on public transport, bus 40 links the Alamo to the 4 missions every 30 minutes, 7 days a week. (I bought a day pass for $2.75 on the VIA goMobile app, which allowed unlimited bus rides in San Antonio.) However, the bus terminates at Mission San Juan. If you want to go to Mission Espada, you have to change bus at Mission San Juan. From Mission Espada, the bus goes back to the Alamo via Mission San Juan, Mission San Jose and Mission Concepcion. If you miss the southbound bus at Mission San Juan, you can walk from Mission San Juan to Mission Espada in 30 minutes (1.5 miles along the San Antonio river). The path is mostly flat and is suitable for wheels. However, a larger portion of the path is unshaded, so bring an umbrella if the weather is hot.
Historical and Beautiful
Went by there last weekend and realized how much beautiful history we, as San Antonians have in our backyard. Worth tbe time to walk tbese historic missions and how they are all connected to each other. Beautiful experience. Highly recommended.
Beautiful, peaceful, and plenty of parking to boot! Make some time to ride the mission trails, you wont regret it!
So beautiful & peaceful.
Very atmospheric ruins. This may be the quietest of the missions in the San Antonio Missions National Historic Park. The grounds are beautiful and pleasant to stroll through. Well worth a visit.
A beautiful place to visit!
Had a ton of fun here.
My personal favorite of the San Antonio missions. The church is very simple, but beautiful.
It is small but personal. Very spiritual, beautiful part of history.
Amazing history
Beautiful mission. The grounds are well kept. Historical and the church is beautiful too.
Mission Espada may be the smallest of the missions but its one of our favorites and probably has the most charm. We take all of our visitors there and they have all loved it, regardless of their faith. Theyre often surprised that its still an active church. Living history...
A nice park with some stone foundations still there to look at
Don’t let the city naysayers dissuade you from this lovely mission. At least four different people told me to visit San Jose and skip the others. It was worth the journey and of the five missions I visited - my favorite! The gift shop was phenomenal and half the price of San Jose’s.
Our new home for Sunday mass
Enjoyed the visit.
Planning a trip to San Antonio, and want to see a UNESCO world heritage sites? DONT start at the Alamo. DO start at Mission Espada in the morning, travel north and visit all the missions ending with a obligatory photo-op with the Alamo. Wrap up your perfect day with a nice dinner on the Riverwalk. Even better if you can bike the whole route.
Went to that area for a relatives baby shower. Till then, I didnt know they had a nice facility for rent to celebrate special occasions.
Beautiful setting. Every San Antonio mission is worth visiting but each is unique. Espada is the furthest South. Great scenery on the way here via the mission trail or mission road. Nice quiet setting. Friendly NPS staff and Parish staff.
I got married at this magical site
Great place to bike ride. But the grass has over grown . Cant see the river or wildlife. Just walls of grass along both sides of the trail. But it still gets five stars.
Educational and amazing!
Vere peaceful! Enjoyed relaxing here before continuing our bike ride on the Misssion Trail
Beautiful historic place. And you could book parties there to rent the Halls out.
Beautiful historic landmark. Worth the visit.
Beautiful churches great place to go and picnic beside the worship
My absolute favorite of all the Missions. Spent 3 hours there in May to pray for my best friend who had passed on the 19th. I am not Catholic but I feel so cleansed when I come out. That Mission was visited quite often by the 2 of us. I miss her greatly.
The facility was used to host a memorial for my Nephew. The Hall was clean and right in the heart of the missions. He loved this place.
Absolutely beautiful church. Nice little gift shop. Very friendly staff.
Paddle trail access is overgrown. You can tell they Havent maintained this part in years. If you are looking to kayak or fish dont bother coming to this place.
Must see part of San Antonio history if youre into that sort of historical vibe
The missions represent living history. This was a nice way to take in some colonial heritage at a leisurely pace.
Great place for small parties and get togethers. Nice cozy church needs better lighting and parking.
Amazing historical stories told here.
Relaxing and enjoyable visit, not commercialized.
It is so humbling. My wife and I got married there on Christmas Eve. We love our Priests,our Deacon and all the community witch is our family ️️️️
Relaxing atmosphere, clean, old style missions and felt very comfortable there. Neat old chapel on the premises. Worth the visit.
Very friendly and helpful people. The Mission is so beautiful, its a great place to relax and take the kids to learn.
My favorite of the San Antonio missions. Beautiful Moorish designed door. Easy parking right up to the door of the church. Regular masses scheduled. I recommend vespers or evening mass. It is beautiful and...as it is so small...on the off chance that it is too crowded (which it usually isnt) they have speakers outside and you can participate in mass on the park benches across the mini plaza (more like a porch) in front of the church. Its beautiful to hear the mass as the sun is setting and the cicadas are singing.
So fun walking around these historical places!!
This is a great park to visit. So much history here.
Very special place. Had baptism for my great granddaughter.
It is beautiful mission. The mission grounds and surrounding area are very attractive.
Part of the missions district and the this one has a great compound and historic walls around the mission. They have a nice little museum here and an old mill.
Such a loving place. So full of history n heritage.
It was great . We took so many photos and even met friars
Awesome place to take a relaxing walk and enjoy all the history it has to offer
Other than the long grass around outside the facility it was a fun place to take the kids.
Church service is held here.. love the historical atmosphere the last mission on Mission Trail from Blue Star well worth the ride
Beautiful place.
What a beautiful place. Not too be missed. Literally walking through history!
Beautiful
Beautiful place, quite and good for roaming around in the evening. Parking is good and nearby. No rush in week day as we visited on Thursday evening around 7:30pm its a awesome quite place. Flowers, birds and evening sun its a good family time.