Luján, Religious pilgrimage site in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina
Luján is a town on the Luján River in Buenos Aires Province, known for its neo-Gothic basilica and its role as a major pilgrimage destination. The place stretches across several blocks around the shrine, with museums, parks, and plazas that visitors can explore on foot.
A statue being transported by ox cart in 1630 stopped at a ford and refused to move until a chapel was built. The current basilica was constructed between 1887 and 1935 after earlier shrines became too small for the growing number of pilgrims.
Pilgrims from all regions of the country visit the town during religious holidays, often traveling on foot or in organized parish groups. The shrine draws people who come to make vows, offer prayers of gratitude, or join traditional Catholic processions.
Trains and buses from the capital take about an hour and a half and stop near the town center. Most points of interest sit close together, so visitors can cover the core area on foot in half a day.
A French organ builder delivered the instrument for the church in 1905, and it remains one of the few of its kind in South America. The lamp inside came from the old Buenos Aires opera house and was moved here in 1908 after the theater was demolished.
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