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The state’s oldest Spanish Colonial mission, Espada offers tours & mass in its 18th-century church.
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Reviews — 8
Excellent place to visit. Mission Espada y es de farthest so7rh of all four and the smallest one but is the most majestic of all. Beautiful decorated, their grounds are nicely kept, and their history is wonderful. They have a museum and the catedral is open for visitors. It's a must to visit this place.
Probably the prettiest of the 5 missions we visited. It is smaller, but that was nice because it was very hot the day we visited. You can enter the church when it is not holding mass. The grounds are beautiful with the trees and some walking areas. There are several plaques that tell about the mission similar to what you see at the other missions. When we were there we only saw maybe 5 total people visiting and the 1 worker in the gift shop.
It is a great place to walk around a nice area at the mission and easily access the mission/riverwalk trail at close to it's farthest southern point. It is also nice that it is free to visit and see the beauty.
It is a great place to walk around a nice area at the mission and easily access the mission/riverwalk trail at close to it's farthest southern point. It is also nice that it is free to visit and see the beauty.
✝️ 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.
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.
Great place to visit with the entire family. Trails located in the rear part of the chapel. Family and I love it. Will visit again soon.
This place is so interesting to see, especially since part of it is still standing and still in use. It has plenty of parking (which is nice) and really clean bathrooms. Plan on about 30 to 40 minutes here- and of course admission is free.
Wonderful experience! Very educational and informative. We were only going to visit a couple, then we were so interested we visited all of them. FYI... Bathrooms at every location.
Mission Espada was founded in 1731 when the area was New Spain and is one of the four San Antonio Missions that belong to NPS that you can see. It is still an active Catholic Church as well. All four missions are beautiful and for all the similarities, each is very unique. Of the four, this one is in the most ruins. It is just incredible to stand there looking around on a hot, humid Texas September day and think about the people that lived here. Bathrooms are available to the right after you enter the mission from the visitor entrance. Paths are paved and easy to walk. Just be aware some of the edges can be a bit jagged, so watch your step. The mission is free, but the church asks for a donation in the sanctuary to help maintain the grounds.
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