The Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral ( es, Catedral Metropolitana de Buenos Aires) is the main
Catholic church in
Buenos Aires,
Argentina. It is located in the city center, overlooking
Plaza de Mayo, on the corner of San Martín and Rivadavia streets, in the
San Nicolás neighbourhood. It is the mother church of the
Archdiocese of Buenos Aires and the
primatial church of
Argentina.
The Cathedral of Buenos Aires was rebuilt several times since its humble origins in the 16th century. The present building is a mix of architectural styles, with an 18th-century
nave and
dome
A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...
and a severe, 19th-century
Neoclassical façade without towers. The interior keeps precious 18th-century statues and
altarpiece
An altarpiece is an artwork such as a painting, sculpture or relief representing a religious subject made for placing at the back of or behind the altar of a Christian church. Though most commonly used for a single work of art such as a painting o ...
s, as well as abundant
Neo-Renaissance and
Neo-Baroque decoration.
History and architecture
Origins

During the definitive foundation of Buenos Aires by
Juan de Garay in 1580, part of a block facing the main square was reserved for the major church of the town. This is still the location of the current Cathedral, which is the last building in a series of previous churches that occupied the site.
At the time of its foundation, the town depended on the
diocese of
Asunción (in today's
Paraguay). The first main church of Buenos Aires was a modest building made of wood and
adobe
Adobe ( ; ) is a building material made from earth and organic materials. is Spanish for ''mudbrick''. In some English-speaking regions of Spanish heritage, such as the Southwestern United States, the term is used to refer to any kind of e ...
, and was replaced by a new one in 1605 by
Governor Hernandarias. This second building was also in danger of collapse by 1616 and had to be rebuilt again, something which was done around 1618. In 1620, Buenos Aires was made seat of a
bishopric by
Pope Paul V. Its main church now had the status of a
cathedral.
After 1662, the cathedral was again rebuilt under bishop Cristóbal de la Mancha y Velazco and governor José Martínez de Salazar, being re-inaugurated in 1671. The cathedral now had three
naves covered by a wooden roof and a tower. Due to the bad quality of its building materials, the tower and the roof of this church fell down in the early 1680s. The whole church was again rebuilt, starting in 1684, under bishop Azcona Imberto. In 1695 the building was almost finished, with the flanking towers of the façade and the
sacristy
A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records.
The sacristy is usually located ...
still to be completed.
In the early 18th century the works were slow, and the first tower was finished only around 1721. The second tower was begun in 1722 and finished around 1725. The main
façade was redesigned between 1725 and 1727 by the
Italian Jesuit
, image = Ihs-logo.svg
, image_size = 175px
, caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits
, abbreviation = SJ
, nickname = Jesuits
, formation =
, founders ...
Giovanni Bianchi (also spelled Blanqui). The design of the new façade was directly inspired by Italian
Mannerist architecture.
Definitive building

On the night of May 23, 1752, the nave of the cathedral collapsed. The only portions still standing were the façade and towers, but the rest of the building needed to be completely rebuilt once again. Italian architect Antonio Masella was put in charge of the project, and the works began already in 1753. Masella designed a majestic church, much larger than the previous structure, with a three-
aisled nave covered with
barrel vaulting and lateral chapels. A
dome
A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...
was to sit over the
crossing. Upon completion of the dome, however, fissures in the structure were detected and it had to be rebuilt. Masella was removed from the project and prosecuted by the authorities, although later acquitted.
The dome was rebuilt by Portuguese architect Manuel Álvarez de Rocha after 1770. The façade by Blanqui and the towers were finally demolished in 1778, since they were too small in comparison to the scale of the new cathedral. An elegant project for a new façade with two flanking towers, combining
Rococo and
Neoclassical elements, was presented by the
Portuguese military engineer José Custódio de Sá e Faria, but financial constraints prevented the realisation of the project. The cathedral was consecrated in 1791 without façade.

Construction of a façade began in the early 19th century directed by Spanish architect Tomás Toribio, but the project did not advance much. It was only in 1821, under
Governor Martín Rodríguez and his Minister
Bernardino Rivadavia, that plans to complete the cathedral were taken seriously. Starting in 1826,
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
architects Prosper Catelin and Pierre Benoit built a new
Neoclassical façade for the cathedral inspired by the
Palais Bourbon in
Paris. Construction was temporarily halted in 1827, and when it resumed, progress was slow until its final completion. The façade of the building consists of a tall
portico
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cult ...
, inspired by
Classical architecture, with twelve
columns and a triangular
pediment on top. The portico lends the building the appearance of an ancient temple rather than a Catholic church. The original project did not call for towers to be built and, even though there were later plans to build two towers, they were never materialized.
The decoration of the façade was only finished between 1860 and 1863, when French sculptor Joseph Dubourdieu created the reliefs of the pediment. The scene represents the reunion of
Joseph with his brothers and father
Jacob in
Egypt, and was intended as an
allegory
As a literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a hidden meaning with moral or political significance. Authors have used allegory th ...
of the unity of the Argentine nation after several fratricide wars. Dubourdieu also completed the
Corinthian capitals of the columns of the portico.
Interior
The Cathedral of Buenos Aires is a
Latin cross building with
transept and three-aisles with side chapels connected by corridors. Originally the interior was only decorated with altarpieces, but at the end of the 19th century the walls and ceilings of the church were decorated with frescoes depicting biblical scenes painted the Italian
Francesco Paolo Parisi
Francesco Parisi (born in 1857 in Taranto, Italy - 1948) was an Italian-Argentine painter.
Early years in Italy
He studied design in Taranto and Naples. He then moved to Rome to work under Domenico Torti, where they worked together in the Pinacot ...
. In 1907, the floor of the cathedral was covered with Venetian-style
mosaics
A mosaic is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and were particularly pop ...
designed by the Italian Carlo Morra. Repair work for the entire floor was started in 2004 and completed in 2010.

The cathedral still has some elements dating from colonial times. The most important is the main gilt wood altarpiece in
Rococo style, dating from 1785 and executed by Spanish sculptor Isidro Lorea. The altarpiece occupies the main chapel and has a statue of the
Virgin Mary and a representation of the
Holy Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the F ...
in its
canopy.
Another notable colonial sculpture is the ''Christ of Buenos Aires'', a large image of the crucified Christ located in the altarpiece of the lateral arm of the transept. The statue was carved by Portuguese sculptor Manuel do Coyto in 1671 and is the oldest in the cathedral. According to the faithful, it has miraculously saved the city from a flood in the 18th century.
The two
pulpit
A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, access ...
s of the cathedral, in transitional Rococo-Neoclassical style, were created in 1789–1790 by the Spanish sculptor Juan Antonio Gaspar Hernández, who would later (1799) direct the first art school of Buenos Aires.
An 1871
Walcker organ
Organ may refer to:
Biology
* Organ (biology), a part of an organism
Musical instruments
* Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone
** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument
** Hammond ...
(Opus 263) is at the chorus section. It has more than 3500 pipes, and was made in Germany with the finest materials available at that time. Titular Organist is Mr. Enrique Rimoldi, who offers periodically organ concerts for free. This organ is quite well conserved and its intonation was preserved as close as possible to the original. It is currently recognised as one of the finest Walcker Organs ever manufactured.
The Cathedral itself could be considered as a pictorial museum as well. E.g., for the Calvarium (14 stations, always present in any catholic church), there are 14 magnificent pictures, made "al óleo", this is, with oil painting and traditional canvas, all originals, with dimensions of more than each.
Mausoleum of General San Martín

In 1880, the remains of
General José de San Martín were brought from France and placed in a
mausoleum
A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be consid ...
, reachable from the right aisle of the church. The mausoleum was specially designed by French sculptor
Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse, with marble of various colours. The black sarcophagus is guarded by three life-size female figures that represent
Argentina,
Chile and
Peru, three of the regions freed by the General. The mausoleum also has the remains of Generals
Juan Gregorio de las Heras and
Tomás Guido
Tomás Guido. (November 1, 1788, Buenos Aires–September 14, 1866) was a general in the Argentine War of Independence, a diplomat and a politician.
Early life
Tomás Guido was the son of a Spain, Spanish merchant Pedro Guido y Sanz and his w ...
, as well as those of the
Unknown Soldier of the Independence.
See also
*
Plaza de Mayo
*
Roman Catholicism in Argentina
*
Architecture of Argentina
*
Archdiocese of Buenos Aires
Gallery
File:Plaza mayo 1854.jpg, The cathedral (right) in 1854
File:Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral Interior (2014).JPG, Interior viewed towards the main chapel
File:Friso_Catedral_Metropolitana_de_Buenos_Aires.jpg, Frieze
File:BuenosAiresCathedral4.jpg, Altarpiece of the lateral transept arm
File:BuenosAiresCathedral3.jpg, Main altarpiece by Isidro Lorea (1785)
File:Exterior nocturno de la catedral.jpg, The Cathedral at night (2012)
File:Cripta de la Catedral de Buenos Aires..jpg, Crypt
File:Catedral Metropolitana de Buenos Aires - 20130309 153142.jpg, Detail of San Luis Gonzaga chapel
File:Catedral Metropolitana de Buenos Aires - 20130309 152352.jpg, Nuestra Señora del Carmen chapel
File:Catedral Metropolitana de Buenos Aires - 20130309 152029.jpg, Altar of ''Cristo de los Buenos Aires''
File:Catedral Metropolitana de Buenos Aires - 20130309 152609.jpg, San Juan Bautista chapel
File:Catedral Metropolitana de Buenos Aires - 20130309 152826.jpg, Devote Christ
File:Catedral Metropolitana de Buenos Aires - 20130309 145837.jpg, Altarpiece of San Martín de Tours
File:BuenosAiresCathedral3.jpg, Main altarpiece
File:Dome-Metropolitan-Cathedral Buenos-Aires.jpg, Exterior view of the dome
External links
Official site of the cathedral
* –
Argentine Independence War soldier buried there
*
{{Authority control
18th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Argentina
20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Argentina
Roman Catholic cathedrals in Buenos Aires Province
Buildings and structures in Buenos Aires
Roman Catholic churches completed in 1791
National Historic Monuments of Argentina
Tourist attractions in Buenos Aires
Christianity in Buenos Aires
Roman Catholic churches in Buenos Aires
Cathedrals in Buenos Aires
19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Argentina