Francisco de Paula Castañeda, (

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

1776 -

Paraná Paraná, Paranã or Parana may refer to: Geology * Paraná Basin, a sedimentary basin in South America Places In Argentina *Paraná, Entre Ríos, a city * Paraná Department, a part of Entre Ríos Province In Brazil *Paraná (state), a state ...

1832) also known as Padre Castañeda ("Father Castañeda") and self-dubbed "El Gauchipolítico", was an Argentine political activist, journalist, writer, teacher and Roman Catholic priest who played an important role in the political life of his country during the first years of the new-born Provincias Unidas del Rio de la Plata. A member of the

Franciscan Order 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 ...

, Castañeda was a fierce opponent to

laicist Laicism (also ''laicity'', from the Ancient Greek "''λαϊκός"'' "''laïkós"'', meaning "layperson" or "non-cleric") refers to a legal and political model based on the strict separation of religion and state. The French term ''laïcité'' ...

policies promoted by

Minister of State Minister of state is a designation for a government minister, with varying meanings in different jurisdictions. In a number of European countries, the title is given as an honorific conferring a higher rank, often bestowed upon senior minister ...

Bernardino Rivadavia Bernardino de la Trinidad González Rivadavia (May 20, 1780 – September 2, 1845) was the first President of Argentina, then called the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata, from February 8, 1826 to June 27, 1827. He was educated at th ...

Early life

Born in Buenos Aires from the Spanish businessman Ventura Castañeda and his wife María Andrea Romero Pineda, Francisco Castañeda completed his first studies at

Real Colegio de San Carlos Colegio Nacional de Buenos Aires (''National School of Buenos Aires'') is a public high school in Buenos Aires, Argentina, affiliated to the University of Buenos Aires. In the tradition of the European ''gymnasium'' it provides a free education ...

, where he graduated in 1790. A member of the Franciscan Order since 1793, Castañeda was ordained priest in

Córdoba Córdoba most commonly refers to: * Córdoba, Spain, a major city in southern Spain and formerly the imperial capital of Islamic Spain * Córdoba, Argentina, the second largest city in Argentina and the capital of Córdoba Province Córdoba or Cord ...

in 1800. He was shortly after appointed chair of

philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

for the University of Córdoba and later chair of

moral theology Ethics involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior.''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy''"Ethics" A central aspect of ethics is "the good life", the life worth living or life that is simply satisfyin ...

at the Recoleta monastery in Buenos Aires.

British invasions and May Revolution

During the

British invasions of the Rio de la Plata British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and cultur ...

, Castañeda served as chaplain of both Spanish and Catholic Irish troops. A supporter of the Reconquista, he is reputed with helping Irish soldiers to desert and join the Spanish forces. A strong advocate of the

May Revolution The May Revolution () was a week-long series of events that took place from 18 to 25 May 1810, in Buenos Aires, capital of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. This Spanish colony included roughly the territories of present-day Argentina, ...

, Castañeda made good use of his

rhetoric Rhetoric is the art of persuasion. It is one of the three ancient arts of discourse ( trivium) along with grammar and logic/ dialectic. As an academic discipline within the humanities, rhetoric aims to study the techniques that speakers or w ...

al talent in defense of the patriots position in front of his parishioners. His scathing preaching gained him the nickname of "the collector of enemies". Castañeda was the only member of Buenos Aires clergy to preach a sermon on 25 May 1815, the fifth anniversary of the revolution.

Ferdinand VII Ferdinand VII (; 14 October 1784 – 29 September 1833) was King of Spain during the early 19th century. He reigned briefly in 1808 and then again from 1813 to his death in 1833. Before 1813 he was known as ''el Deseado'' (the Desired), and af ...

had been restored as

King of Spain The monarchy of Spain or Spanish monarchy () is the constitutional form of government of Spain. It consists of a Hereditary monarchy, hereditary monarch who reigns as the head of state, being the highest office of the country. The Spanish ...

and the

Quadruple Alliance Quadruple Alliance may refer to: * The 1718 alliance between Austria, France, the Netherlands, and Great Britain during the War of the Quadruple Alliance * The alliance between Great Britain, Austria, the Netherlands, and Saxony in the Treaty of Wa ...

vowed to counter republican and liberal revolutions, and a royalist reaction was feared among the former Spanish colonies in America. As a teacher, Castañeda established a craft and arts school at the Recoleta monastery in 1817. The school was eventually merged into the

University of Buenos Aires The University of Buenos Aires (, UBA) is a public university, public research university in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is the second-oldest university in the country, and the largest university of the country by enrollment. Established in 1821 ...

in August 1821.

Journalism and internal exile

A defender of the

Hispanic culture The term Hispanic () are people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an ethnic or meta-ethnic term. The term commonly applie ...

values against

enlightenment Enlightenment or enlighten may refer to: Age of Enlightenment * Age of Enlightenment, period in Western intellectual history from the late 17th to late 18th century, centered in France but also encompassing (alphabetically by country or culture): ...

, Castañeda used to publish short-lived rags to publicly debate with his critics. Martín Rodríguez was appointed governor of Buenos Aires in 1820 and in 1821, through his Minister of State, Bernardino Rivadavia, he decreed a number of reforms, among them a law of

emphyteusis (Greek, 'implanting') or emphyteutic lease is a contract for land that allows the holder the right to the enjoyment of a property, often in perpetuity, on condition of proper care, payment of tax and rent. This type of real estate contract speci ...

of public lands and restrictions to the power of the church.Historical Dictionary of Argentina. Scarecrow Press,1978, pp. 799-800. Castañeda resorted once again to the tactics of publishing ephemeral papers in favour of the clergy to circumvent censorship. This position eventually granted him the exile. Castañeda settled in

Santa Fe Province The Invincible Province of Santa Fe (, , lit. "Holy Faith") is a Provinces of Argentina, province of Argentina, located in the center-east of the country. Neighboring provinces are from the north clockwise Chaco Province, Chaco (divided by the 2 ...

, then ruled by strongman Estanislao Lopez, where in 1823 he founded an arts and crafts school. Lacking of funds to sustain his project, Castañeda moved to Paraná, capital of the neighbour province of Entre Ríos in 1827, where he established an elementary school under the auspices of governor Pascual Echague. Castañeda passed away there on 11 March 1832. Castañeda's remains were buried in Buenos Aires on 28 July, and the funeral rites were celebrated on 22 December. The oration was given by Franciscan

friar A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders in the Catholic Church. There are also friars outside of the Catholic Church, such as within the Anglican Communion. The term, first used in the 12th or 13th century, distinguishes the mendi ...

Nicolás Aldazor.

References

1776 births 1832 deaths Argentine political writers 19th-century Argentine Roman Catholic priests Argentine people of Spanish descent Clergy from Buenos Aires 19th-century Argentine journalists

Early life

British invasions and May Revolution

Journalism and internal exile

See also

References