La Manzana Jesuítica
The Jesuits established the Jesuit Manzana in the city of Cordoba in 1599. The Manzana consisted of the church, quarters for the Jesuits, and the Colegio to educate males of wealthy families in South America. On an adjacent block they built slave quarters and warehouses for the supplies to support the activities of Jesuit Manzana.
La Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús
Construction of the church began in 1641 and was finished 36 years later. Since timber of sufficient length and quality were not available to build a conventional ceiling, the architect constructed the ceiling in the form of an inverted ship. Guarani craftsman in the border region of Paraguay and Argentina constructed the altar and reredo. These furnishings were shipped in pieces by ox cart to Cordoba, a journey of over 600 miles.
Jesuit Residency
The Residency is not open to the public, but a pedestrian walkway goes by the exterior of the Residency. Pope Fransis spent two years here during his exile from Buenos Aires.
Colegio Maximo / National University of Cordoba
The Colegio Maxjmo, founded in 1610, became the foundation of the future Nacional University of Cordoba, one of the oldest universities in the Americas. It houses the Archivo Jesuítico collection of 2,800 books, the oldest dating back to the thirteenth century. This collection provides a snapshot of the existing areas of study during the early days of the Colegio. The collection is preserved by the University Library, and 500 items of the the collection are now accessible by the public.
Cordoba Provincial Flag
Cordoba Province included the Jesuit sun on their flag in recognition of the education and economic contribution of the Jesuits.
Jesuit Estancias
The Jesuits established a unique system of six Jesuit Estancias throughout the province to produce the food, wine, cattle, goods and economic support for the Jesuit Manzana. Each estancia consisted of up to 10,000 ha of land, 2-3 Jesuits to administer the estancia, and several hundred slave and indigenous people to perform the labor.
Five of the estancias are now museums and declared UNESCO World Heritage sites in 2000.
Five of the estancias are now museums and declared UNESCO World Heritage sites in 2000.
A description and photos of the Estancias can be accessed below:
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