- Creation: XVII-XVIII centuries.
The organization defending the world's cultural heritage in 1983 took under its care Jesuit missions of the Guarani region. The ruins of these once flourishing missions were built in the 16th-18th centuries AD. In all, there are 15 Argentine missions, but only 4 of them are protected by UNESCO. The fifth is located in Brazil, but it is equated to Argentine.
What are the Jesuit missions?
For those who have not heard the history of the origin of the missions, it will be interesting to learn that they were founded with the goal of converting the local population (the Tipi Guarani tribes) into Catholicism, and also to protect them from the then prosperous slave trade. Missions are small town-fortresses, settlements from several hundred to several thousand people. The reduction, or Jesuit settlement, included temples, dwellings for Indians and whites, as well as the infrastructure inherent in that time.
Santa Maria la Mayor
This reduction was founded in 1626. Through it, during 128 years of existence, 993 Indians, baptized by missionaries, passed. However, with the start of the military company and the Spanish-Portuguese war, the settlement descended
.San Ignacio Mini
In 1632, a reduction of the Jesuits, named San Ignacio, was built in the province of Misiones, and in Argentina it is now one of the monuments of history. It was then that the style of local architecture appeared, later called Baroque Guarani. Visitors will be interested to look at the powerful church building, which has two-meter-thick walls, and a length of more than 74 m. On the territory of the mission lived once more 4000 thousand baptized Guarani Indians, and still their cemetery.
Nuestra Señora de Loreto
In the distant 1610 the priests of the society of Jesus in the American colonies had built a mission for the baptism and residence of the Indian population. This reduction has become one of many destroyed in the process of military operations during the seizure of the country during the Spanish-Portuguese confrontation.
San Miguel das Misouins
Although this mission is located in the territory of modern Brazil, it is also considered one of the five Jesuit reductions protected by UNESCO in Argentina. To protect against the slave trade, which flourished in the XVII century, missionaries of the order decided to build a church and a settlement around it. The Jesuit architect Gean Battista Primola, who built the baroque church, took up the case. During the war with Portugal, the Jesuits were ordered to vacate the territory, but they did not comply and were destroyed along with the local population who had disobeyed.
Santa ana
The ruins of the mission are in unsatisfactory condition, which does not prevent visitors to visit these places, impregnated with the centuries-old history of the Indian people. Reduction was built in 1633 and inhabited by baptized Indians, who saw their salvation in the face of the Jesuit brothers. Less than 100 years later, in 1767, the mission was abandoned and partially destroyed.
How to get there?
It's easy to get to the Jesuit missions of the Guarani region. After all, in the province where they are located, fly like charters, and regular flights from the capital of Argentina . You can get here from the territory of Brazil.