Jesús del Tavarangué (1685)
Named as a
Patrimonio Universal de la Humanidad by UNESCO in 1993, and located in the Ciudad de Jesús, this mission is in a scenic area and is one of the most restored and visited Jesuit reducciónes.
Photos and Descriptions.
Santa Rosa de Lima (1698)
248 Km frim Asunción in the city of Santa Rosa, this mission is well-known for the architectural details and the Capilla de Loreto.
Photos and Descriptions.
Trinidad del Paraná (1706)
Also named as a
Patrimonio Universal de la Humanidad by UNESCO in 1993, this was the last of the Jesuit reducciones in Paraguay and is the one most often visited. The great church, school, workshops, housing, cemetery, orchard and museum offer insight into the life and philosophy of the missions.
Photos and Descriptions.
Argentina:
Most of the missions are located between the Paraguayan and Brazilian borders, in the province of Missiones. See this map.
San Jose de Lules
San Ignacio Miní (1732)
San Ignacio Miní's Mission, Nuestra Señora de Loreto, Santa Ana, Santa María La Mayor
Corpus, San Carlos, San José, Martires, San Javier, Conception, Apostoles, Santo Tomé, Yapeiu, La Cruz, Candelaria
Sao Lourenco Martir , now known as San Lorenzo in the Parana region.
San Nicolas , originally founded in Brazil and moved to what is now Missiones province following attacks by bandeirantes.
Santa Ana , originally founded in Brazil and moved to this site near the Parana river.
Bolivia:
The missions are located in Chiquitania region from Santa Cruz, east across the Río Grande towards the border with Brazil. The missions, constructed between 1696 and 1760, were declared "World Heritage" by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in 1990.
San Javier 1691, was the first Bolivian mission. Its church “is a long low building, the roof coming down steeply to create a verandah on the sides and a deep porch in the front. There is a cloister to one side, with an open wooden belltower. The church interior is a simple rectangle with two lines of immense columns, each carved out of a single tree, marching down to the high altar. The woodwork is picked out in two colours, a reddish brown made from the local earth, and black from soot. Above the altar are carvings -- crude by Jesuit standards, but lively -- telling the story of the Jesuits. Locked during the day, at night the church comes alive when the electric chandeliers blaze with light and the nave is packed for the evening service.”
Bolivia's Jesuit missions
San Ramón
San Ignacio de Velazco
Concepción
Santa Ana (1637)
San José de Chiquitos
San Jose
San Francisco Javier, Conception, San Miguel, San Rafael
Sao Joaquin (1747), San Estanislao (1747), Belen (1760)
Brazil:
Sao Miguel Arcanjo (das Missoes) (1687) , near the city of Santo Angelo, is
“Listed by Unesco as a World Heritage Site, the ruins of the mother church of São Miguel are the main symbol in Brazil of the missionary civilisation. Designed by the Jesuit priest and architect João Batista Promoli, the church is an example of the baroque architecture of the missionaries, inspired by Renaissance rules established by Vignola for the Gesu church in Rome. The largest piece of religious architecture in the Jesuit settlements, it still possesses the remains of walls, partitions, vaults, facade and bell tower, and, as an important world heritage site, has been preserved and restored by the Ministry of Culture. Next to it is the Museum of Missões, where objects of art and architecture are on display and there is a reconstruction of the settlement and the Indian houses by the architect Lucio Costa.”
Missões. Photos and Descriptions.
San Luis Gonzaga and Santo Angel Custodio Missions
Santo Angelo (1706), Sao Francisco de Borja (1682), Sao Nicolau, Sao Luiz Gonzaga, Sao Lourenço Martir (1690), Sao Joao Batista (1697)
Uruguay:
San Juan Bautista in present day
Colonia de Sacramento, orginally founded by the Portuguese.
to get to any of the missions, check
flights from your area. You can also browse for hotels and car rentals.
Have you visited the Jesuit missions? If so, share your experiences with a post in the forum.
Buen viaje!
