Argentina has a wide variety of cathedrals, chapels and churches, but there is one that stands out above the others. It is the Metropolitan Cathedral, which is one of the oldest and most important in the entire country. Do you want to know more about her? Here we will tell you!
The origins of this legendary cathedral can be traced back to the very foundation of the city of Buenos Aires. At the beginning, the Buenos Aires cathedral was small, precariously built with wood, clay and stones. However, this church was the most important in the city, despite its fragile appearance.
Over the years, Buenos Aires went from being a newly founded city to a proper metropolis. With this change, the local administration decided that the cathedral could no longer be such a simple building, so plans began to build a new one.
The cathedral that replaced the previous one was also made of wood, and due to various structural problems, it could not withstand the weight of the entire construction.
From that moment on, a considerable number of buildings followed one another, each one destined to be the Metropolitan Cathedral. However, none could stand for long, and renovations or reconstructions were always necessary.
Finally, the definitive version of the Metropolitan Cathedral was completed in 1852. Today, it is a Historical Monument of national importance.
This cathedral was built in a neoclassical style, of Italian inspiration, in which there are also vestiges of Greek design, since its main facade is adorned with tall white marble columns.
In addition, one of the characteristics of the Metropolitan Cathedral is its immensity. It has a total of five naves, its corridors are so long that they seem to be infinite, and its interior space houses an endless number of decorative pieces.
In the same way, it is easy to see that the place was not the work of the same architect, and that its construction spanned more than two centuries. This is because the cathedral has different types of design, some dating back to the 18th century, while others are so modern that they were only added in the late 1990s.
Also, this was the cathedral of Jorge Bergoglio, who is currently Pope Francis and the most important figure in the entire Catholic Church. To honor this fact, the cathedral has a museum dedicated to the work of the Pope during his time in the Argentine capital.
This magnificent church is one of the many must-sees in Buenos Aires, and it should definitely be part of your tour of the city. It is open every day of the week, but with different hours.
Likewise, the Metropolitan Cathedral allows visits to be free, although it has guided tours, both by experts in the history of the place and by audio guides. Keep in mind that these are available in different languages, but the most complete are those in Spanish.
These tours will take you through the Museum of Pope Francis, the Mausoleum of José de San Martín, the memorial mural of the victims of the Holocaust and other emblematic points of the Metropolitan Cathedral.
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