Catedral Metropolitana de Buenos Aires
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The Catedral Metropolitana Santísima Trinidad de Buenos Aires is the main church of the Catholics and mother church of the Archdiocese in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires . It is located in the San Nicolás district on Plaza de Mayo , on the corner of San Martín and Rivadavia .
The Catedral Metropolitana, St. Consecrated to the Trinity , it was first built in the 16th century and has been rebuilt several times since then. The current church building is a mixture of different architectural styles. The nave and dome date from the 18th and the facade from the 19th century. The interior houses valuable statues and an altarpiece from the 18th century, as well as rich decorations in the neo-renaissance and neo-baroque styles.
The cathedral was the seat of Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio SJ , who was elected the 266th Bishop of Rome on March 13, 2013 and thus Pope and head of the Roman Catholic Church and the State of Vatican City .
History and architecture
In the course of the founding of Buenos Aires by Juan de Garay in 1580, a piece of land in the city's main square was reserved for the construction of the main church. This square is still the location of the existing cathedral, which had a number of previous buildings on the property.
Previous buildings and the first cathedral were erected as parish churches
When Buenos Aires was founded, the city belonged to the Archdiocese of Asunción in what is now Paraguay . The first church building was a modest wood and clay structure and was replaced by the governor Hernando Arias de Saavedra in 1605 . The second building threatened to collapse in 1616 and had to be rebuilt, which happened in 1618. In 1620 Buenos Aires became the seat of a bishop and the church was given cathedral status .
The second cathedral
Bishop Cristóbal de la Mancha y Velazco and Governor José Martínez de Salazar had a new, three-aisled cathedral built with a wooden roof and a tower from 1662. It was consecrated in 1671. Due to the poor quality of the building materials, structural damage was evident as early as 1678. Eventually the roof collapsed (destroying the altarpiece). The tower was so dilapidated that it had to be demolished in the early 1680s.
The third cathedral
As a result, the cathedral was rebuilt from 1684 by order of Bishop Azcona Imberto. In 1695 it was finished to the point where services could be celebrated. The flanking towers of the facade and the sacristy were still missing . At the beginning of the 18th century, the construction work stalled for lack of money. The first tower was not completed until 1721. The second tower was erected between 1722 and 1725. The facade was redesigned between 1725 and 1727 by the Italian Jesuit Giovanni Bianchi (also known as Blanqui) in the style of the Italian Renaissance.
Current building
On the night of May 23, 1752, the nave of the cathedral collapsed. Only the facade and the towers remained, which is why the rest of the building had to be completely rebuilt. The Italian architect Antonio Masella was commissioned with the construction and work began as early as 1753. Masella designed a majestic church, much larger than its predecessor, with a main nave and two aisles as well as a vaulted ceiling and side chapels. A dome rises above the crossing . After the completion of the dome, cracks were discovered in the walls, whereupon it had to be rebuilt. Masella was released and charged, but later acquitted.
The dome was rebuilt from 1770 by the Portuguese architect Manuel Álvarez de Rocha. The facade of Blanqui and the towers were demolished in 1778 as they were too small for the new cathedral. The Portuguese engineer José Custódio de Sá e Faria presented a design that combined Rococo and Neoclassical elements, but the design could not be realized for financial reasons. The cathedral was finally inaugurated in 1791 without a facade.
Construction of a new facade finally began in the early 19th century under the direction of Spanish architect Tomás Toribio, but did not progress very far. It was not until 1821, under the governor Martín Rodríguez and his minister Bernardino Rivadavia , that serious plans arose to complete the cathedral. In 1826, the French architects Prosper Catelin and Pierre Benoit began building a facade in the classical style, inspired by the Palais Bourbon in Paris . Construction work stopped in 1827 and then continued slowly. The design included a large portico with twelve columns and a triangular ornamental gable. Due to the porch, the building is more reminiscent of an ancient temple than a Catholic church. The plans did not include towers, and although there were later plans to build two, they did not materialize.
The facade was not completed until between 1860 and 1863, when French sculptor Joseph Dubourdieu created reliefs for the gable. The relief shows the reunion of Joseph with his father Jacob and his brothers in Egypt. It served as an allegory for Argentine unity after several intra-Argentine wars. Dubourdieu also completed the Corinthian capitals of the pillars on the portico.
inner space
The floor plan of the Catedral Metropolitana is laid out as follows: central nave, two side aisles and a transept (also called transept).
Originally the only decoration was the altarpiece, but towards the end of the 19th century the walls and ceilings were decorated with frescoes depicting biblical scenes. They come from the Italian painter Francesco Paolo Parisi. In 1907 the floor was covered with a Venetian-style mosaic designed by Carlo Morra .
Colonial times
The cathedral still has elements from the colonial era. The most important is the wooden altarpiece from 1785, the work of the Spanish sculptor Isidro Lorea. It is located in the main chapel and shows the Virgin Mary and the Trinity in the canopy .
Another notable sculpture from the colonial era is the Santo Cristo de Buenos Aires (Christ of Buenos Aires) in the altarpiece of the transept. The sculptor was the Portuguese Manuel do Coyto, who created it in 1671. The sculpture is the oldest in the cathedral. It is said to have miraculously saved the city from a flood in the 18th century.
The cathedral's two pulpits were created between 1789 and 1790 by the Spanish sculptor Juan Antonio Gaspar Hernández, who later also became director of the first art school in Buenos Aires.
organ
There are two organs in the cathedral .
A small instrument that is very significant in terms of art history comes from the colonial era. It was created at the end of the 18th century by an unknown organ builder. In 1995 the instrument was completely restored. In particular, it also serves as a concert organ. The organ has 7 registers on a manual . The actions are mechanical.
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The main organ of the cathedral was built in 1871 by the organ builder EF Walcker & Co. The instrument has 35 registers on three manuals and a pedal . The actions are mechanical.
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- Coupling : II / I, III / II, I / P, II / P
- Playing aids: group moves (p, f, ff on the 1st manual), tutti, crescendo roller
Side altar
pulpit
ornamentation
Floor mosaic
Mausoleum of General San Martín
In 1880 the remains of General José de San Martín were brought from France to Argentina and buried in a mausoleum in the church. The mausoleum was designed by the French sculptor Albert Carrier-Belleuse in marble of different colors. The black sarcophagus is protected by three life-size female figures representing Argentina, Chile and Peru. Generals Juan Gregorio de Las Heras and Tomás Guido are also buried in the mausoleum . You can also find the tomb of the unknown soldier there .
Statue of José de San Martín
View into the vault of the burial chapel
Guard battalion in front of the chapel
Web links
- Resena Historica. Archived from the original on March 14, 2010 ; accessed on October 8, 2014 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Information on the organ
- ↑ More information about the organ
- ↑ More information about the organ (Spanish)
Coordinates: 34 ° 36 ′ 26.7 ″ S , 58 ° 22 ′ 23.8 ″ W.