hollisandbeyond2015: Exploring Retiro

On Monday we explored Retiro, a neighbourhood to the east of where we are staying. We passed through a very elegant area with lovely plazas, exclusive shops, and ritzy residences. The Plaza Of San Martín is a large treed plaza with more giant fig trees, a war memorial to the fallen in the Falklands War, and a giant bronzed statue of a horseman, the namesake of the plaza who was one of Argentina's liberators (from the Spanish). We could see the English clock tower built by expats in the early twentieth century to acknowledge the English presence in Buenos Aires. After the obligatory coffee break, we arrived at the very ornate Basilca Santisimo which is a Catholic Church, paid for entirely by one very wealthy aristocratic woman who lived in a palace near St. Martín Plaza. She also had an impressive name: Mercedes Castellanos de Anchorena. Walking by her former house, we could see how Mercedes could afford the construction of the church. Apparently she said that if she lived in a palace, then her God should also live in a palace, so she set out and succeeded in building the fanciest church in Buenos Aires constructed with imported marble, stained glass, and other expensive materials. We arrived just as a choir was performing some beautiful music. After the singing, the church organist asked if we would like to get a view from the organ loft, so we mounted the winding staircase to see the largest organ (4983 pipes!) in Argentina. The who's who of Buenos Aires get married in the Basilica Santisimo Sacramento, and why not? You can see that it comes pre-decorated for such an occasion.

The English Tower