Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
from Hipolito Yrigoyan 211. Admission is free
on Saturday; it is closed on Wednesday.
If you continue around to the back of the Casa
Rosada, you'll see
Parque Colón
, where there
is an exquisite sculpture of Christopher Colum-
bus by the Italian sculptor Arnoldo Zocchi.
The
Banco de La Nación Argentina
,on
Avenida Rivadavia facing the Plaza, houses a
Numismatic Museum. The first Teatro Colón
once occupied this spot.
You'll easily recognize the
Metropolitan
Cathedral
if you look for the oversized torch to
the right of the main entrance. It remains lit at
all times and honors Argentina's most revered
national hero who lies buried within, General
José de San Martín. The very first chapel in
Buenos Aires stood here in 1585. By 1622, after
several failed attempts, the site was conse-
crated and construction began. It wasn't actu-
ally completed until 1791, and even then the
portico would not be constructed for another 30
years. By that time Argentina had moved from
the Spanish-dominated colonial period to the
more French-inspired period of Enlightenment
following the May Revolution. Two Frenchmen,
Prosper Catelin and Pierre Benoit, were chosen
to design the portico and are responsible for the
row of 12 Corinthian columns. Resting above
the columns is a sculpture pediment by Joseph
Dubourdieu entitled “Jacob meets his son
Joseph in hands of Egypt.” It represents the
reconciliation between Buenos Aires and the
provinces.
