The official name is San Jose y San Miguel de Aguayo. It is one of the five missions in San Antonio. It is easily the most impressive of the Texas missions. It was known, even in the mission period as "Queen of the Missions".
The substantial mission grounds, including the church shown here, were surrounded by stone walls, some 14 feet high. Residences for the missionaries and the Indians were built into the walls.
Founded in 1720, it is the second oldest of the San Antonio missions. The church and the entire compound were completed in 1782. The mission fell into partial ruins, with the collapse of the dome in 1873. Resotration and rebuilding were done in the 1920s and 1930s, with rededication in 1937. San Jose is part of the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park.