San Lorenzo () is a city in the south of the Province of Santa Fe, Argentina, located 23 km north of

Rosario Rosario () is the largest city in the central provinces of Argentina, Argentine province of Santa Fe Province, Santa Fe. The city, located northwest of Buenos Aires on the west bank of the Paraná River, is the third-most populous city in the ...

, on the western shore of the

Paraná River The Paraná River ( ; ; ) is a river in south-central South America, running through Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina for some ."Parana River". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2012. Web. ...

, and forming one end of the

Greater Rosario Greater Rosario is the metropolitan area of the city of Rosario, in the province of Santa Fe, Argentina. This metropolis has a population of about 1.3 million (1,455,668 million inhabitants) thus being Argentina's third most populated urban s ...

metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region consisting of a densely populated urban area, urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories which share Industry (economics), industries, commercial areas, Transport infrastructure, transport network ...

. It is the head town of the San Lorenzo Department, and it has about 46,000 inhabitants according to the .

History

Though generally accepted as 1796, San Lorenzo has no certain foundation date, as different historical texts refer to different dates. However, the Municipal Council finally decided in 1984 to settle on 6 May 1796, the date when

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 ...

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 ...

s came and started the

evangelization Evangelism, or witnessing, is the act of sharing the Christian gospel, the message and teachings of Jesus Christ. It is typically done with the intention of converting others to Christianity. Evangelism can take several forms, such as persona ...

of the area. The city was the stage of the Battle of San Lorenzo on 3 February 1813, where troops loyal to the

Spanish Crown 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 ...

were defeated by local revolutionaries under General

José de San Martín José Francisco de San Martín y Matorras (; 25 February 177817 August 1850), nicknamed "the Liberator of Argentina, Chile and Peru", was an Argentine general and the primary leader of the southern and central parts of South America's succe ...

. The 18th century San Carlos Monastery has a museum devoted to this battle, the first in the

Argentine War of Independence The Argentine War of Independence () was a secessionist civil war (until 1816) fought from 1810 to 1818 by Argentine patriotic forces under Manuel Belgrano, Juan José Castelli, Martín Miguel de Güemes, Martin Miguel de Guemes and José de ...

, it is also the birthplace of Argentine footballer Javier Mascherano.

Geography and industries

San Lorenzo is located at the end of the "Industrial corridor" of the Argentine littoral, and hosts processing industries (edible oil, flour), as well as ceramics factories and petrochemical plants. San Lorenzo's port and that of nearby Puerto General San Martín are among the largest export outlets in Argentina for primary products (

soybean The soybean, soy bean, or soya bean (''Glycine max'') is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean. Soy is a staple crop, the world's most grown legume, and an important animal feed. Soy is a key source o ...

wheat Wheat is a group of wild and crop domestication, domesticated Poaceae, grasses of the genus ''Triticum'' (). They are Agriculture, cultivated for their cereal grains, which are staple foods around the world. Well-known Taxonomy of wheat, whe ...

and

maize Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago from wild teosinte. Native American ...

Port of San Lorenzo

San Lorenzo remains among the most prominent ports of Argentina, primarily for the loading of

grain A grain is a small, hard, dry fruit (caryopsis) – with or without an attached husk, hull layer – harvested for human or animal consumption. A grain crop is a grain-producing plant. The two main types of commercial grain crops are cereals and ...

. Located on the western banks of Parana river, about 14 miles from

, the port complex comprise three cities: San Lorenzo, Puerto San Martin and Timbues. These ports collectively handle mainly cargoes of grain, vegetable oil, refined products and crude. This also includes the San Lorenzo-Puerto General San Martin Port Complex, an area comprising numerous ports along the Parana river. A number of these berths are private.

References

Additional references: :''In Spanish unless otherwise noted.''
Municipality of San Lorenzo
- Official website. * *
Bienvenidos a Santa Fe
- A web portal of the province of Santa Fe. {{Authority control Cities in Argentina Populated places in Santa Fe Province Paraná River Port settlements in Argentina