Salta's Colonial Churches: Baroque in the Andean Northwest
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Salta's Colonial Churches: Baroque in the Andean Northwest

Salta's colonial religious architecture — the San Francisco church, the Cathedral, the Convento San Bernardo — represents the finest baroque in northwest Argentina; the churches' interiors blend Spanish baroque with Andean indigenous craftsmanship in a regional style distinct from the Río de la Plata

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    Iglesia San Francisco

    Iglesia San Francisco - with its distinctive orange and white baroque facade - is the most beautiful church exterior in Salta; the 55-meter-high bell tower (the tallest in Argentina) is the city's landmark; the interior of the church has gilded altarpieces, colonial religious paintings and the image of the Lord of Miracles (an object of intense popular devotion in the city)

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    The pink facade of the cathedral

    Salta's Cathedral's dusty pink neoclassical facade – with its Ionic columns, its twin bell towers and its position on Plaza 9 de Julio – is the defining image of the city; the cathedral's interior houses the Señor del Milagro (Lord of Miracles) — the colonial image that, according to tradition, stopped an earthquake on September 15, 1692; the September 15 procession is the most important religious event in Salta

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    Señor del Milagro Procession

    The procession of the Lord of Miracles on September 15 – where the colonial image is carried through the streets of Salta followed by hundreds of thousands of devotees – is one of Argentina's biggest religious events; the combination of colonial religious devotion, indigenous spiritual elements, and popular Catholic practice make the procession a uniquely northwestern Argentine experience

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    Convento San Bernardo

    Convento San Bernardo – founded in 1582 – has a remarkable carved wooden portal (1762) decorated with Andean images (cactus, birds and native faces) along with European religious iconography; the portal is the finest example of Andean mestizo baroque carving in Argentina; the monastery is a living Carmelite community and the interior is closed to visitors

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    Candelaria Chapel

    Capilla de la Candelaria - in the village of Cachi in the Calchaquí Valley - is the finest colonial church outside Salta city; The 18th century chapel with its carved facade, its interior with original colonial furnishings and its setting against the white adobe village and the Cachi Mountains is one of the most beautiful colonial church scenes in Argentina

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    Museum of Colonial Art

    The Museo de Bellas Artes and the Colonial Rooms of the Cabildo Museum have significant collections of colonial religious art from the northwestern Argentine missions; the paintings, sculptures and silverwork from the missions in Salta and Jujuy represent a regional artistic tradition influenced by the Jesuit missions in the neighboring regions

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