The chapel used today was begun in 1745. Construction of another permanent church began a few years later, but it was torn down because it was unsafe and threatened to collapse. The foundation walls of that church, a granary, a two-story convento, various workshops and the quarters for the indigenous population around the walls, are still standing.

1) Photograph of the east (front) and south facades of the church at Mission Espada. Father Francis Bouchu's residence, reconstructed from the main part of the old mission convento, stands to the left of the chapel. A well is centered in the foreground between the two structures.

2) The priests' quarters to the south of the chapel were reconstructed on the ruins of the old convento and modified twice in the 20th century. This building still serves as the priest's residence and as an office for Espada's chapel. Photo taken by Gordon Shults.

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Courtesy of the San Antonio Conservation Society Foundation.