Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral

The Catedral Metropolitana Santisima Trinidad de Buenos Aires is the main church of the Catholics and the Mother Church of the Archdiocese in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires. It is located in the suburb of San Nicolás in the Plaza de Mayo, on the corner of San Martín and Rivadavia.

The Catedral Metropolitana, the Holy Trinity consecrated, had repeatedly rebuilt their first predecessor in the 16th century and has been ever since. The current church building is a mixture of different architectural styles. The nave and the dome date from the 18th and the facade of the 19th century. The interior houses precious statues and an altarpiece from the 18th century as well as a rich decoration in neo-Renaissance and Neo-Baroque style.

The cathedral was the Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio SJ, who was elected on March 13, 2013 to the 266th bishop of Rome and thus to the Pope and head of the Roman Catholic Church and the Vatican City State seat.

• 2.1 colonial
• 2.2 organ

History and Architecture

Origins

As part of the founding of Buenos Aires by Juan de Garay in 1580, a plot was on the main square of the city reserved for the construction of the main church. This place is until now the site of the existing cathedral, which had a number of previous buildings on the property.

As Buenos Aires was founded, the town belonged to the Archbishopric of Asunción in Paraguay today. The first church building was a modest wood and clay building and was replaced in 1605 by the Governor Hernando Arias de Saavedra. The second building threatened to collapse in 1616 and had to be rebuilt, what was done in 1618. 1620 Buenos Aires became the seat of a bishop and the church received the status of a cathedral.

From 1662 the cathedral under Bishop Cristobal de la Mancha y Velazco and the Governor José Martínez de Salazar was again rebuilt and consecrated in 1671. It consisted of a nave and two aisles now building with a wooden roof and a tower. Due to the poor quality of construction of the tower and the roof in the early 1680ern collapsed. Again, the whole church was rebuilt, the work started this in 1684 under Bishop Azcona Imberto. In 1695 it was time finished, except for the flanking towers of the facade and the Sacristy.

In the early 18th century, the pace of construction work subsided, and the first tower was not completed until 1721. The construction of the second tower followed 1722-1725. The front facade was 1725-1727 by the Italian Jesuit Giovanni Bianchi (also called Blanqui ) newly decorated in the style of the Italian Renaissance.

CURRENT building

On the night of May 23, 1752, the nave of the cathedral collapsed. There remained only the facade and towers stand why the rest of the building had to be completely rebuilt. The Italian architect Antonio Masella was entrusted with the construction and the work started already 1753. Masella designed a majestic church, much larger than their predecessors, with a nave and two side aisles and a vaulted ceiling and side chapels. Over the crossing rises a dome. After the completion of the dome cracks were discovered in the walls, and she had to be rebuilt. Masella was discharged and charged, but later acquitted.

The dome was rebuilt by the Portuguese architect Manuel Álvarez de Rocha from 1770. The facade of Blanqui and the towers were demolished in 1778, because they were too small in relation to the new cathedral. The Portuguese engineer José Custódio de Sá e Faria presented a design that combined rococo and neoclassical elements, but for financial reasons could not be implemented the design. The cathedral was finally consecrated in 1791 without facade.

The construction of a new façade finally began in the early 19th century under the direction of the Spanish architect Tomás Toribio, however, flourished not very far. It was not until 1821, under Governor Martín Rodríguez and his minister Bernardino Rivadavia, created serious plans to complete the cathedral. 1826 began the French architect Prosper Catelin and Pierre Benoit with the construction of a Fassada in neoclassical style, inspired by the Palais Bourbon in Paris. 1827 stopped the construction work initially and were then finally continued slowly. The design included a large portico with twelve columns and a triangular pediment. Through the portico, the building is more reminiscent of an ancient temple because of a Catholic church. The plans did not include towers, and although it was later plans to build two, they were not realized.

The façade was not completed until 1860-1863, when the French sculptor Joseph Dubourdieu created reliefs of the pediment. The relief shows the reunion of Joseph with his father Jacob and his brothers in Egypt. It served as an allegory for the Argentine unit after several innerargentinischen wars. Dubourdieu completed the Corinthian capitals of the columns on the portico.

Interior

The floor plan of the Catedral Metropolitana is created as follows: nave, two aisles and a transept (also called transept ).

Originally, the only decoration of the altar screen, 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 with mosaics in the Venetian style, designed by Carlo Morra, covered.

Colonial

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 remarkable sculpture from the colonial period is the Santo Cristo de Buenos Aires ( Buenos Aires Christ ) in the altarpiece of the transept. Sculptor was the Portuguese Manuel do Coyto who created them in 1671. The sculpture is the oldest in the cathedral. She was said by to have preserved by a miracle the city from a flood in the 18th century.

The two pulpits of the Cathedral were created 1789-1790 by the Spanish sculptor Juan Antonio Gaspar Hernández, who later also director of the first art school in Buenos Aires was.

Organ

In the cathedral there are two organs.

From the colonial period comes a small, art-historically very important tool. It was created in the late 18th century by an unknown organ builder. In 1995, the instrument was restored basic. It is used in particular as a concert organ. The organ has 7 registers on a manual work. The tracker action are mechanical.

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 pedal. The tracker action are mechanical.

• Couplers: II / I, III / II, I / P, II / P
• Accessories: Group trains (p, f, ff on the 1st manual work ), Tutti, Crescendowalze

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 guarded by three life-size female figures that represent the countries Argentina, Chile and Peru. In addition, the Mausoleum Generals Juan Gregorio de las Heras and Tomás Guido are buried. We can also see the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Look in the vault of the tomb chapel

Wachbataillon front of the chapel