Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar, Buenos Aires, Minor basilica in Recoleta, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar is a minor basilica featuring a single nave with a sail vault containing baroque altarpieces and detailed side chapels with colonial decorations and sculptures. The site includes a museum housed in original cloisters displaying religious artworks, manuscripts, and liturgical objects from the colonial period.
The basilica was founded in 1732 by Recollect friars under architect Giovanni Andrea Bianchi with funding from a Zaragoza resident. This origin connects the church to Spanish religious traditions and marks it as an important monument from the early colonial period.
The main altar blends Spanish baroque style with Peruvian silver pieces and Inca ornaments that reflect colonial artistic mixing. You can see this combination of European and American influences throughout the chapel decorations and religious objects.
You can visit the museum rooms in the original cloisters to see religious artworks and historical objects on display. The basilica sits next to Recoleta Cemetery, making it easy to explore both locations during one visit.
The church tower features distinctive tiles from Calais, France, dating back to construction and representing an unexpected European detail in the colonial structure. This feature reveals the global trading connections Buenos Aires had during its early years.
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