:''To be distinguished from the Cathedral of Sucre, Bolivia, formerly La Plata'' The Cathedral of La Plata in La Plata,

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

, dedicated to the

Immaculate Conception The Immaculate Conception is the belief that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception. It is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church, meaning that it is held to be a divinely revealed truth w ...

, is the 58th tallest church in the world. This

Neogothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

edifice is located in the geographical center of the city, facing the central square, Plaza Moreno, and the City Hall. Inspired by the European cathedrals of

Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in the region of Hauts-de-France. In 2021, the population of ...

and

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...

, its plans were drawn by architect Ernesto Meyer under the direction of city planner

Pedro Benoit Pedro Benoit (February 18, 1836 – April 4, 1897) was an Argentine architect, engineer, and urbanist best known for designing the layout of the city of La Plata. Life and times Pedro Benoit was born in Buenos Aires in 1836 to María Josefa ...

. The cornerstone was laid in 1884, and it was consecrated as the ''Parroquia Nuestra Señora de los Dolores'' in 1902. The parish church, which continued undergoing works, was designated a cathedral in 1932.

History

The cathedral was projected by the Engineering Department of the Buenos Aires province headed by engineer

. The drawings were done by the architect Ernesto Mayer and the architect Emilio Coutaret collaborated with both of them. The design found inspiration in the

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(

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

) and the

Cologne Cathedral Cologne Cathedral (german: Kölner Dom, officially ', English: Cathedral Church of Saint Peter) is a Catholic cathedral in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne and of the administration of the Archdiocese o ...

(

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

). Its style belongs to the

Gothic Revival architecture Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th cent ...

(Neo-Gothic).

Restoration and completion

In the 1930s, fearing that the foundation was insufficient for the projected size and weight of the structure, workers halted construction. The spires were left unfinished and the exterior brick work was left undressed. In the mid 1990s, an ambitious plan of restoration and completion was carried out. The 1990s plan included the following: *Strengthening the

foundation Foundation may refer to: * Foundation (nonprofit), a type of charitable organization ** Foundation (United States law), a type of charitable organization in the U.S. ** Private foundation, a charitable organization that, while serving a good cause ...

. *Reversing the damage in the bricks and

joints A joint or articulation (or articular surface) is the connection made between bones, ossicles, or other hard structures in the body which link an animal's skeletal system into a functional whole.Saladin, Ken. Anatomy & Physiology. 7th ed. McGraw- ...

. *Completing two

spire A spire is a tall, slender, pointed structure on top of a roof of a building or tower, especially at the summit of church steeples. A spire may have a square, circular, or polygonal plan, with a roughly conical or pyramidal shape. Spires a ...

s, six turrets, 200 pinnacles, and 800 needles. *Installing a 25-bell carillon. Once the brickwork was restored and completed, the decision was made to leave the exterior undressed. The building's exposed-brick exterior is thus unusual to some extent, and it makes La Plata Cathedral resemble the brick Gothic or Neogothic style of many churches in northern Europe, such as

Uppsala Cathedral Uppsala Cathedral ( sv, Uppsala domkyrka) is a cathedral located between the University Hall of Uppsala University and the Fyris river in the centre of Uppsala, Sweden. A church of the Church of Sweden, the national church, in the Lutheran t ...

in Sweden, St. John's Church, Helsinki in

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

and

Roskilde Cathedral Roskilde Cathedral ( da, Roskilde Domkirke), in the city of Roskilde on the island of Zealand (Denmark), Zealand (''Sjælland'') in eastern Denmark, is a cathedral of the Lutheranism, Lutheran Church of Denmark. The cathedral is the most importan ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

. The refurbishment was inaugurated to the public in the year 2000. With its towers rising , it is among the six tallest churches in the Americas.

Gallery

External links

Excursión a la Catedral de La Plata

Videos

{{commons category, Catedral de La Plata (Argentina), Catedral de La Plata
Catedral de La Plata
(YouTube.com video)
Catedral de La Plata
(YouTube.com video) Roman Catholic cathedrals in Buenos Aires Province 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Argentina Buildings and structures in La Plata Roman Catholic churches completed in 1932 Gothic Revival church buildings in Argentina Tourist attractions in La Plata .

History

Restoration and completion

Gallery

See also

External links

Videos