At the heart of Córdoba is cluster a of colonial buildings
and other historical monuments that make this city a treasure
trove.
Cathedral
Córdoba's
cathedral is probably the country's most important surviving
colonial building. It was constructed in 1577 and successive
generations kept making additions. The cathedral was crowned
by a Romanesque dome in 1758. In the wide paved atrium stretching
between it and the plaza is a life sized silhouette carved in
white stone by the architect Miguel Angel Roca, as though the
door frames, windows and bell tower were casting ghostly shadows.
The building has now been restored to its colonial grandeur.
Jesuit Block
Córdoba's Jesuit Block
also known as the Manzana de las Luces or 'Block of Enlightenment'
was first developed by the influential Jesuit order. The design
was accomplished by the Flemish Padre Philippe Lemaire. The
Iglesia Compañia de Jesús dates from 1645 but
it wasn't completed until 1671. Leimaire once a boat builder
successfully created a cedar roof in the form of an inverted
ship's hull. The interior features are ornate and tasteful,
with a baroque altarpiece carved of Paraguayan cedar from Misiones
Province.
At the corner of Caseros and Obispo Trejo is the the all-stone
Church of the Company of Jesus and the nearby National University
of Córdoba.The National University is one of the oldest
universities in the western hemisphere and is the oldest university
in Argentina. It began its life as a Jesuit seminary in 1613
and became a university in 1622. Together with the cathedral
the university was at the center of a large operation developed
to give religious instruction to the Comechingones and other
Indians.
In 1767 the Jesuits were expelled from all Spanish dominions
and their property handed over to the Franciscans. The university
was eventually secularized. In the 20th century, under a government
friendlier to the church, the Jesuits returned and built the
Catholic University in the same neighborhood. It is smaller
and looks quite ordinary next to the late medieval, early Renaissance
structures of stone that those earlier members of their order
had designed.
Museo Histórico Provincial Marqués de Sombremonte
The Museo Histórico
Provincial Marques de Sobremonte is one of the most important
historical museums in the country. It was an 18th century house
that belonged to the colonial governor of Córdoba and
Viceroy of the Río de la Plata Rafael Núñez.
Exhibits include collections of musical instruments, religious
paintings, indigenous and gaucho weapons, leather and wooden
trunks, furniture and other local historical valuables. It has
26 rooms and five interior patios. Its wrought-iron balcony
supported by carved wooden brackets is worth a closer look.
Plaza San Martín
The Río Primero is
one of Córdoba’s main natural landmark, and its
1577 Plaza San Martin is the official city center. Named after
Argentina’s great liberator it houses the city’s
cathedral and the Calle Obispo Trejo, an easily walkable avenue
filled with some of the city’s most illustrious colonial
buildings.
On the westside of the plaza is the white
arched avenue of the restored 18th century Cabildo. It is part
of the Museo de la Ciudad and is open to the public exhibiting
relics from the city's past and a few contemporary art pieces.
On the plaza's northern side, is the Casa del Obispo Mercadillo,
with another impressive colonial wrought-iron balcony.
The Iglesia de Santa Teresa y Convento de Carmelitas
Descalzas de San José is a convent for Carmelite nuns
completed in 1628 and has remained in operation ever since.
Only the church itself is open to visitors. The Hospital San
Roque, at the corner of Santa Fe and Salta, is from the 17th
century although most of the building is newer. Iglesia San
Roque, Basílica Nuestra Señora de la Merced and
the Basílica de Santo Domingo are some of the other important
landmarks around.
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