San Cosme Y Damián
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San Cosme y Damián is a
district A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...
in the
Itapúa Department Itapúa () is a department in the southern region of Paraguay. The capital is the city of Encarnación. It is divided into 30 districts, more than any other department in the country. History This department was created after the breakup of the ...
of
Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...
. Located 80 km west of Encarnación, it is close to places like
Ayolas Ayolas is a city in the department of Misiones, Paraguay, located at 310 km southeast of Asunción, on the banks of the Paraná River. It is, also, the name of the district within which the city is located. Toponymy The city takes its name on ...
,
General Artigas General Artigas is a town in the Itapúa Department of Paraguay. It is named after the Uruguayan national hero, José Gervasio Artigas, who spent his last 30 years exiled in Paraguay (1820-1850). Sister cities General Artigas is twinned with: ...
or
Isla Apipé Isla Apipé or Isla Apipé Grande is an Argentine island about 25 km long in the Paraná River below the Argentine city of Posadas, Misiones, very marginally within the Argentina–Paraguay border, divided by river and a thin strip of varia ...
, in Southern Paraguay and Northern
Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
, along the
Paraná River The Paraná River ( ; ; ) is a river in south-central South America, running through Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina for some ."Parana River". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2012. Web. ...
, at the
Argentina–Paraguay border The Argentina–Paraguay border is the line that limits the territories of Argentina and Paraguay. This boundary is solely defined by three major rivers: the Pilcomayo River, Pilcomayo, Paraná River, Paraná and Paraguay River, Paraguay, being on ...
. It covers an area of 800 km2 and has an estimated population of over 10,000 in 2023.


History

The name was given by
Jesuits The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
after
Saints Cosmas and Damian Cosmas and Damian ( – or AD) were two Arabs, Arab physicians and early Christian martyrs. They practised their profession in the seaport of Yumurtalık, Aegeae, then in the Roman province of Cilicia (Roman province), Cilicia. Cosmas and ...
, twin brothers from third-century who practiced medicine. The Jesuit ruins found in San Cosme y Damián are the remains of some 30 missions, also known as reductions (Spanish: ''reducciones''), found in the
Río de la Plata The Río de la Plata (; ), also called the River Plate or La Plata River in English, is the estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River at Punta Gorda, Colonia, Punta Gorda. It empties into the Atlantic Ocean and ...
region. The San Cosme y Damián mission was one of seven missions located in Paraguay; the other missions are found in modern day
Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
and
Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
. The Jesuit mission of San Cosme y Damián was founded in 1632 by Father Adriano Formoso. The settlers had to move several times before ultimately establishing themselves upon the north bank of the
Paraná River The Paraná River ( ; ; ) is a river in south-central South America, running through Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina for some ."Parana River". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2012. Web. ...
in 1718. The ruins of the San Cosme y San Damián mission holds several well-preserved artifacts and archaeological finds. These ruins are the only ones in Paraguay to still have a functional church, which has been continually used to this day as a place of worship and as a community centre. The church also has original wood carvings, a number of them even with their original colouring. Some of these carvings depict
Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...
with indigenous features. The school and priests' rooms are also well-preserved. One can still observe the original painted ceiling and stone ornaments made by the inhabitants. As of April 2022, there remains a side of the mission that has not been excavated. During the 18th century, Mission San Cosme y San Damián was also the site of an observatory, due to the work of Father Buenaventura Suárez. Born in
Santa Fe, Argentina Santa Fe de la Vera Cruz (; usually called just Santa Fe, lit. "Holy Faith") is the capital city of the provinces of Argentina, province of Santa Fe Province, Santa Fe, Argentina. It is situated in north-eastern Argentina, near the junction of t ...
in 1678, Father Suárez came to San Cosme y Damián in 1703. He stayed and worked there till his death in 1750. With the help of the
Guaraní people The Guarani are a group of culturally-related Indigenous peoples of South America. They are distinguished from the related Tupi people, Tupi by their use of the Guarani language. The traditional range of the Guarani people is in what is now Paragu ...
, he built several astronomical devices such as
sundials A sundial is a horology, horological device that tells the time of day (referred to as civil time in modern usage) when direct sunlight shines by the position of the Sun, apparent position of the Sun in the sky. In the narrowest sense of the ...
,
telescopes A telescope is a device used to observe distant objects by their emission, Absorption (electromagnetic radiation), absorption, or Reflection (physics), reflection of electromagnetic radiation. Originally, it was an optical instrument using len ...
,
quadrants Quadrant may refer to: Companies * Quadrant Cycle Company, 1899 manufacturers in Britain of the Quadrant motorcar * Quadrant (motorcycles), one of the earliest British motorcycle manufacturers, established in Birmingham in 1901 * Quadrant Privat ...
, etc. Although rudimentary in nature, these devices were completely functional and accurate and allowed Father Suárez to make many observations. He sent his observations of eclipses, satellites of Jupiter, and the rings of Saturn to European scientists who were intrigued by astronomical data from the Southern Hemisphere. Some of his findings were even published in European journals. Father Suárez's work culminated in the publication of his book ''Lunario de un Siglo'' (English: ''Lunar Centenar'') in 1743. This was an astronomical calendar of a century, 1740-1840. This book predicted with great accuracy the eclipses that would occur in this time period and also contained geographical data of 70 cities. Nearly all of his instruments have been lost, with only the sundial still remaining in the schoolyard. Other priests who played an important role in the development of San Cosme y Damián include Fathers Adolfo Scal, Johan Gilde, Unger and Taddaeus Enis. Father Enis was especially famous for leading the native population in battles against the Portuguese.


Geography

To the north of San Cosme y Damián is the district of
Coronel Bogado Coronel Bogado District is a town and district in the Itapúa Department of Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, so ...
. To the west is
Misiones Department Misiones () is a Departments of Paraguay, department located in the southern region of Paraguay. Its capital is San Juan Bautista, Paraguay, San Juan Bautista. The eighth of Paraguay's 17 departments, it was created in 1906, then known as the ' ...
and the district of General Delgado. The
Paraná river The Paraná River ( ; ; ) is a river in south-central South America, running through Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina for some ."Parana River". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2012. Web. ...
runs through the southern border and separates the district from
Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
. Major towns in this district include Tiburcio Bogado, Lomas Valentinas, San Lorenzo (Colonia Voluntad), Cambyretá, Tiburcio Bogado, Pirity, Potrero Yvate, San Mauricio and Atinguy. The island
Ybycuí Ybycuí is a Paraguayan rural community of the department of Paraguari, located 120 km away from Asunción, and 40 km from Route 1. Toponimics Its name means "Sandy" in Guaraní. Geography Ybycuí is located 122 km away ...
is found in the Paraná river, near the district. The island is well known for containing sand dunes, which are the remains of
Yacyretá Island Yacyretá Island (Spanish: ''Isla Yacyretá''; Guaraní: ''jasý retã'' "land of the Moon") is an island in the Itapúa Department, Paraguay, located in the Paraná River, sectioned by the Yacyretá Dam. Administratively, it is part of the sout ...
.


Economy

The principal economic activities are farming, livestock and fishing. The agricultural output largely includes cotton, maize, cassava, rice, bean, soybean and sugarcane and most of the livestock is bovine, chicken and pig. Like many rural communities, the district suffers from brain drain as many of the youth will leave to study or work in nearby Argentina or more urban areas of Paraguay like
Asunción Asunción (, ) is the capital and the largest city of Paraguay. The city stands on the eastern bank of the Paraguay River, almost at the confluence of this river with the Pilcomayo River. The Paraguay River and the Bay of Asunción in the north ...
, Encarnación and
Ciudad del Este Ciudad del Este (, Spanish for Eastern City; often shortened as CDE) is the second-largest city in Paraguay and capital of the Alto Paraná Department, situated on the Paraná River. It is located 327 km east of Asunción, the capital, and i ...
. Tourism also contributes to the economy. In 2015, over 16,000 people went to visit the
Jesuit missions among the Guaraní The Jesuit missions among the Guaraní were a type of settlement for the Guaraní people ("Indians" or "Indios") in an area straddling the borders of present-day Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay (the Triple Frontier, triple frontier). The missions ...
in San Cosme y Damián and over 17,000 were recorded in 2016.


References


External links


Lunario del Siglo
{{DEFAULTSORT:San Cosme y Damian Districts of Itapúa Department