Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Socorro, Minor basilica in Retiro, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Socorro is a church in Retiro with neoclassical design featuring two towers and four Corinthian columns. Inside, three naves extend toward the main altar, flanked by decorated side chapels that add rhythm to the interior space.
Alejandro del Valle donated land for the church in 1750 on condition it be dedicated to Nuestra Señora del Socorro. It became a vice-parish of the Cathedral in 1769 and a parish in 1783. Pope Leo XIII raised it to the rank of minor basilica; the church was consecrated and the basilica insignia, the baldachin and the tintinnabulum, were installed under parish priest José Apolinario de Casas, whose ministry ran from 1871 to 1932.
The parish gave its name to the old Socorro neighbourhood, a label dropped during the 20th century. On 14 September the feast of the Lord of Miracles is celebrated, the date of the image's 1803 transfer to the church; the feast of Our Lady of Socorro was moved to 13 September, and until 1947 it fell on the 15th.
The basilica stands at Juncal 876, near the corner of Suipacha, in Retiro. The 1938-1953 restoration found the building had no foundations, and the adjoining house on Suipacha was bought for a new sacristy and classrooms. The bronze-clad outer doors date from 1952. In the atrium stands the La Piedad sculptural group, blessed on 14 September 1992 by Cardinal Antonio Quarracino.
The church houses a statue of the Lord of Miracles that was originally purchased from a street vendor. This image received a solemn coronation ceremony at the Metropolitan Cathedral in 1903, elevating its devotional status.
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