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Church of Saint Anthony of Padua, San Antonio de Areco, province of Buenos Aires
The temple that is seen today on San Antonio de Areco’s main square is the third that has been constructed on the same lot
This one was inaugurated on the 9th of July of 1870.
Two plaques, that today have been removed, used to be found on the front of the church providing testimony of the placement of the founding stone on the 7th of February of 1869, and that “If it were in the future God’s will that this building were unhinged, its grounds destroyed and the place exposed again to the view of the people as it is today; let everyone know that today the Argentine Republic is in war with the government of Paraguay, and has been like this for the last four years...”
The façade’s lines show the influence of Italian architecture; the atrium has been closed with a wrought iron fence fabricated by the old Pazzaglia house. In its interior, the walls have been plastered with stone imitating materials; the skirting board or baseboard and the columns were made from African marble.
The Origins of the Temple
Between the years 1710 and 1714, the inhabitants of Areco promise Saint Anthony of Padua the construction of a chapel if they were freed from the Indian raids. Since this took place during several years, Jose Ruiz Arellano founded the first oratory in the head of his ranch.
The foundation of this oratory, under the patron saint, Saint Anthony of Padua, was the cornerstone for the creation of the village of Areco.
Between 1720 and 1728, the first chapel was constructed. This was located in the same place the parish is found today. It constituted the only temple in all the Area of Areco and it was commonly known as Saint Anthony’s Chapel.
The first six curacies were created on the 23rd of October of 1730. The one of the Areco Area was one of them. As a consequence, the chapel evolves into a church. This date is taken as the date of the foundation of the village of Areco.
In 1782 the second church was constructed slightly to the right of the current one. The new temple doubled the first one in size, and had a gable roof, and an assembly of beams made from Paraguayan wood. The floor was covered with thick tiles fabricated in Areco, and there was no belfry on its front. This church was used until 1868, when it was demolished, leaving only the vestry for the celebration of mass while the current church was being constructed.
A details you should not miss
- Four confessional boxes with the following inscriptions: P. Cura (Parish Priest), P. Forastero (Foreign Priest), P. Teniente (Lieutenant Priest), P. irlandes (Irish Priest).
The province of Buenos Aires, as well as all of Argentina, received an important number of immigrants during the late 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. In the case of San Antonio de Areco, that of Irish origin was especially significant.
About this article...
Author of the article: Grondona Olmi, Verónica
Sources employed:
- "El País que no Miramos" ("The Country we have not Seen"), a series of documentaries for television produced by Ivan Grondona. Archivo General de la Nación ("Argentina's National Archive").
-sanantoniodeareco.com in August 2008
Translated by: Veronica Grondona
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