Post Tagged with "Buenos Aires"

Buenos Aires Cathedral’s tiled floor

The floor of the Cathedral of Buenos Aires is a work of art in itself. It was laid it in 1907 to mark Argentina’s centennial. Repair work was begun in 2004 and was finished in time to mark the country’s 200^th anniversary in 2010.

A short history of the cathedral

The current building is the last of a series of buildings that occupied the plot allotted to a church by the founder of Buenos Aires, Juan de Garay, in 1580. The first church was built of wood and adobe and was replaced in 1605. As the building was in danger of collapsing, it was rebuilt in 1618. In 1620, the church was made seat of the Diocese of Buenos Aires and thus its status changed to cathedral.

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Buenos Aires Botanical Garden

The Buenos Aires Botanical Garden, designed by landscape architect Carlos Thays, was opened in September 1898.It is located in the neighbourhood of Palermo, across the street from the Zoo. Although the botanical garden is surrounded by the din of the traffic and the hustle and bustle of a big city, it is an oasis of tranquility, where people can take a respite from their hectic life.

 

Art and history at Recoleta Cemetery

A cemetery is probably not the first thing that comes to mind when one is planning a visit to a new city, especially if that person is interested in local art and history. Oddly enough, Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires attracts many visitors a day for exactly those reasons.

The cemetery was opened in November, 1822 – making it the oldest in the city – on land that belonged to the Augustine monks. The monks, known as recoletos, had been expelled after some changes were made to their Order. Although the monks left, their name stayed: the whole area of Recoleta is named after them. Only Christians could be interred there until 1863, when President Mitre decreed the cemetery open to people of all religions.

Recoleta Cemetery covers an area of 5.5 hectares (13.6 acres) right in  the middle of one of the most upscale neighbourhoods. Real estate, both inside and around the cemetery, is very pricey.

The cemetery is like an open-air museum or a Who is Who of Argentinean society. Its residents include members of the richest families, former presidents, military heroes, politicians, artists, sportsmen and even Antarctic explorer!

The mausoleums are works of art that reflect the fashion and beliefs of the period in which they were built, like Art Deco, Art Nouveau or Neo Gothic. Some of those mausoleums have been declared Patrimonio Histórico Nacional (Historic Heritage)

Ironically, people who were sworn enemies in life ended up sharing their eternal resting place. For example, Evita Perón, whose mausoleum is one of the most sought-after, is not far from her husband’s nemesis, General Eduardo Lonardi (who led the revolution that ousted Perón in 1955)

There are free guided tours every day in Spanish and English. The guides will surely mention some of the most famous urban legends that arose from the cemetery. Take Salvador Maria del Carril and his wife Tiburcia. Rumour has it she was a strong-willed woman who liked to spend her husband’s money. One day he decided not to honour her debts, they had a colossal row and never talked to each other again. Mrs del Carril decided that they would not talk to the rest of eternity either and designed their mausoleum in such a way that their statues would turn their back on one another. Only they know what really happened.

 

Read more

Ceibo, Argentina’s national flower
Camila O’Gorman, the romantic heroine of Argentina
Rebecca de Caro, a Denver native in love with Argentinean food and culture

From our contributors: week of December 4

This is what some of our contributors were up to last week:

Sandra, our contributor from Portugal, writes about a show of light and fantastic creatures called Turn on the Lights 2011 at Dam Square (Amsterdam)

“A couple of weaks ago, I went to Amsterdam to meet my friend Raquel. She had invited me to watch a show at Dam Square. A show of light and fantastic creatures: Turn on the Lights 2011 by Bijenkorf”

DeeBee, our contributor from France, writes about the symbolism of Christmas Holly in France from the Celts to this day.

“The use of holly is full of symbolism that, once more, originated in paganism. Celts believed that its prickly leaves had magic power and protected from evil spirits…druids wore a sprig of holly in their hair during the Winter (and Summer) Solstice celebrations. This belief remained  and for centuries people hung a sprig of holly above their bed.” (more…)

Picture Postcards: Taking a break in Argentina

In August we have a new Picture Postcards photo theme – everyday people. We’d love to see photos of people where you live – please share them in our Flickr photo group (don’t forget to tag them ‘everyday people’).

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Urban Pilgrims in Buenos Aires

My feet were killing me. My legs were practically devoid of feeling. Even my hip joints hurt. I was beyond tired but the thought of seeing the Basilica in all its glory kept me going. That, and a touch of pride too.

My group and I had joined tens of thousands of people from all walks of life in the biggest and most popular display of Christian faith in Argentina, the Peregrinación Juvenil -a 67 kilometre long trek from Buenos Aires to the sleepy town of Luján, home of the eponymous Basilica and the statue of Our Lady of Luján, the country’s patroness.

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