Córdoba & the Central Sierras - Argentina - page 245

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$9 (£6.10). The tourism office also arranges 2-hour E nglish-speaking walking tours of
the city for $15 (£10). Call in adv ance the Tourism Information Office, Rosario de
Santa Fe 39 ( & 351/428-5600; [e-mail]).
Catedrál Construction of the cathedral, situated next to the Cabildo, began in
1577 and took nearly 200 years to complete. No wonder, then, that the structure incor-
porates such an eclectic mix of styles, heavily influenced b y bar oque. O n each of the
towers, next to the bells, y ou will see I ndian angels created by—and in the image of—
indigenous people of this r egion. The dome was painted b y E milio Carrafa, one of
Córdoba's best-r emembered ar tists. Visitors ar e fr ee to enter the chur ch but should

respect the Masses that take place at v arious times during the day.
Independencia 72, at Plaza San M artín. & 351/422-3446. F ree admission. Daily 8am-noon and

4-7pm.

Manzana Jesuítica The Jesuit Block, which includes the S ociety of J esus'
Church, the D omestic Chapel, the N ational University of Cór doba, and the N ational
School of M onserrat, has been the nation 's intellectual center since the early 17th cen-
tury. Today the entir e complex is a historic museum, although the chur ches still hold
Masses, the cloisters still house priests, and the schools still enr oll students.
The Domestic Chapel, completed in 1668, was used throughout much of its history
for private Masses and r eligious studies of the J esuits. Having practiced their building
skills on the Domestic Chapel, the Jesuits finished the main church, called the Compa-
ñía de J esús, in much the same style in 1676. B uilt in the shape of a Latin cr oss, the
Compañía de Jesús is the oldest church in Argentina. Its nave was designed by a Belgian
shipbuilder in the shape of an inv erted hull, which was the best way to make use of the
short wood beams available for construction at the time. The dome is all wood—no iron
is found anywhere—and the beams remain fastened with raw cowhide. The gilded altar-
piece was car ved in P araguayan cedar , indicativ e of bar oque design. A t each of the
church's wings stands a chapel, one of which has often been used for univ ersity gradua-
tion ceremonies.
In 1613, the Jesuits founded the National University of Córdoba, the oldest univer-
sity in Argentina and one of the continent's longtime academic centers. With most of the
university (including the medical and law schools) having mo ved elsewhere in the city ,
the majority of rooms here now form part of the historic museum. You can visit the Hall
of Graduates, the main university library, and the exquisite Jesuit library holding roughly
1,000 books dating back to the 17th centur y; the topics ar e primarily in Latin, G reek,
and Spanish, with the ex ception of a complete B ible from 1645 written in sev en lan-
guages. Many of the original books in the library were secreted to Buenos Aires when the
Jesuits were first expelled from the Americas, but some ar e slowly being returned.
The Jesuit library leads to the National College of Monserrat, which opened in 1687
and quickly became one of the countr y's top public secondar y schools. Walking around
the cloisters, you can see the classrooms as well as exhibits of early science machines used
for mechanics, electronics, magnetics, color, and sound. D uring the academic y ear, you
will also find students at work here. You can enter the Compañía de Jesús, the university
patio, and the Colegio Nacional de Monserrat free of charge. For $1 (70p), you can also
visit the Domestic Chapel and the Hall of Graduates.
Obispo Trejo 242. & 351/433-2075. Free admission; t ours $3.50 (£2.40). Tues-Fri 10am-12:30pm and
2-4:30pm; Sat 10am-1pm. 40-min. guided t ours in English Tues and Thurs 3pm; in Spanish Tues and
Thurs 11am. Call in advance to arrange an English-language tour.

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