The Jesuit Block and Estancias of Córdoba () are a former

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

reduction built by

missionaries A missionary is a member of a religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Miss ...

in the province of Córdoba,

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

, named a

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

in 2000. The ''Manzana Jesuítica'' contains the University of Córdoba, one of the oldest in

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

, the Monserrat Secondary School, a church, and residence buildings. To maintain such a project, the Jesuits operated six ''Estancias'' (residences) around the

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

of Córdoba, named Caroya, Jesús María, Santa Catalina, Alta Gracia, Candelaria, and San Ignacio. The farm and the complex, started in 1615, had to be left by the Jesuits, following the 1767 decree by King

Charles III of Spain Charles III (; 20 January 1716 – 14 December 1788) was King of Spain in the years 1759 to 1788. He was also Duke of Parma and Piacenza, as Charles I (1731–1735); King of Naples, as Charles VII; and King of Sicily, as Charles III (or V) (1735� ...

that expelled them from the continent.Manfred Barthel. ''The Jesuits: History and Legend of the Society of Jesus''. Translated and adapted from the German by Mark Howson. William Morrow & Co., 1984, pp. 223-4. They were then run by the

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

s until 1853, when the Jesuits returned to

The Americas The Americas, sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America and South America.'' Webster's New World College Dictionary'', 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. When viewed as a sin ...

. Nevertheless, the university and the high-school were nationalized a year later. Each Estancia has its own church and set of buildings, around which towns grew, such as Alta Gracia, the closest to the Block. The Jesuit Block and the Estancias can be visited by tourists; the ''Road of the Jesuit Estancias'' is approximately in length. Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who would later become

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

, lived there.

References

External links

Jesuit Block and Estancias of Córdoba
- Argentine Tourism Office

Images of the Estancias
- Government of Córdoba

Buildings and structures completed in the 17th century World Heritage Sites in Argentina Buildings and structures in Córdoba Province, Argentina Jesuit history in South America Spanish missions in Argentina Former populated places in Argentina Tourist attractions in Córdoba Province, Argentina 1615 establishments in the Spanish Empire {{CórdobaAR-geo-stub

See also

References

External links