- Argentina - Portal público de noticias de la República Argentina.
The construction of the facilities in the capital city of Córdoba province was directed by Jesuit missionaries and executed by thousands of local indians who became knowledgeable in brickworking, goldsmithing, cabinetmaking and blacksmithing.
“The Block” comprises the Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús (the church of the Company of Jesus), the domestic chapel, the order’s residence and the office of the dean of the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba (Argentina’s Córdoba university) with its administrative buildings, the cloister, the graduates’ hall, the Biblioteca Mayor (the main library) and the Colegio Nacional de Monserrat (the Montserrat secondary school).
The construction of the complex was managed by the missionaries and carried out by thousands of American Indians who learned the crafts of masonry work, gold and silver work, cabinet-making, and and blacksmith work. The imprint of their work has a unique style, consisting in the blending of native art and European baroque.
The ranches distributed across the province of Córdoba are a singular exhibit of the production organization of this religious order in Argentina. They were set up or acquired for agricultural production purposes in the 17th century for the keep and maintenance of the schools and other houses of study, although they served the jesuits’ purpose of expanding the influence of the Catholic religion.
The ranches were agricultural and livestock establishments that had everything to provide for their own sustenance. There were settlements for the personnel, the residence for the ranch-owner Fathers and Brothers and a chapel for the celebrating of holy rites. The ranches named Jesús María, Caroya, Santa Catalina, La Candelaria and Alta Gracia may be taken in on a 250 kilometer- tour that travels along hilly roads.
All these establishments were named A Cultural Heritage of Humanity in the year 2000 by UNESCO.
