Basílica San Antonio de Padua, Catholic church in Villa Devoto, Argentina.
Basílica San Antonio de Padua is a Neoclassical-Romanesque church on a Greek-cross plan in Villa Devoto. Its portico has four Tuscan columns beneath a triangular pediment, flanked by two low bell towers. A tall ribbed dome with a lantern rises over the crossing, modeled on the Basilica of Superga; a fire destroyed the original dome in 1991 and the replacement was inaugurated on 20 June 1993. The high altar, crucifix and pulpit are carved from Carrara marble.
The land was bought in 1889 for a planned church first called Santa Rosa, but the 1890 crisis halted work. In 1913 Antonio Devoto took over the site and hired architect Marcovich; after Devoto died in 1916 and his wife Elina Pombo in 1923, her brothers saw the parish consecrated in 1928. A 1963 papal bull raised it to minor basilica, proclaimed on 13 June 1964.
The basilica serves as a focal point for religious celebrations and ceremonies in the neighborhood. Residents and visitors gather regularly to participate in worship and maintain their spiritual traditions.
The basilica stands at Avenida Lincoln 3751 in Villa Devoto, west Buenos Aires. The entrance portico faces the street behind a black metal fence, with the domed crossing visible from afar. The crypt holding Antonio Devoto's sarcophagus is lit by an oculus and can be viewed from above.
The dome's model was the Basilica of Superga in Italy, and the crossing dome sits on a tall drum with a lantern. The 1991 fire destroyed the original dome; the replacement was inaugurated on 20 June 1993.
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