⛪ Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral
Argentina
About This Sacred Site
The Metropolitan Cathedral of Buenos Aires, facing the Plaza de Mayo, is the principal Catholic church of Argentina. The current neoclassical building, with its striking 12-column portico inspired by the Palais Bourbon in Paris, dates to the 18th and 19th centuries. The cathedral houses the mausoleum of national hero General José de San Martín and was the home church of Jorge Mario Bergoglio before he became Pope Francis in 2013. Its ornate interior features Venetian mosaic floors and Baroque altarpieces.
Key Facts
- •Pope Francis served as Archbishop of Buenos Aires in this cathedral from 1998 to 2013
- •Houses the mausoleum of General José de San Martín, Argentina's liberator
- •The neoclassical facade with 12 Corinthian columns was modeled on the Palais Bourbon in Paris
- •An eternal flame burns at San Martín's tomb, guarded by grenadiers 24 hours a day
- •The original church on this site dates to 1593, though the current structure is from the 18th–19th centuries
Location
Coordinates: -34.6083, -58.3732
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