San Ignacio Miní
the museum
San Ignacio Miní was one of the many missions founded in 1632 by the Jesuits in the Americas during the Spanish colonial period near present-day San Ignacio valley, some 60km north of Posadas, Misiones Province, Argentina.
model of the site
The original mission was erected near the year 1610 by priests José Cataldino and Simón Maceta in the region called Guayrá by the natives and La Pinería by the Spanish conquistadores in present Paraná State, Brazil. Because of the constant attacks of the Portuguese Bandeirantes, the mission first moved in 1632, and didn't settle in its current location until 1696, and was called San Ignacio Miní (minor in Guaraní) to distinguish it from its bigger homonym San Ignacio Guazú (great).
In the 18th century the mission had a population of around 3000 people, and a
rich cultural and handicraft activity, which was commercialized through the
nearby Paraná River. Nevertheless, after the Suppression of the Society of Jesus
of 1767, the Jesuits left the mission a year later, and the mission finally
destroyed in 1817, as well as other missions in the area.
mission sites
The ruins are one of the best preserved among the several build in a territory
today belonging to Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay, and one of the most visited
due to its accessibility. Lost in dense vegetation, the remains of the "Guaraní
baroque" stile constructions were found in 1897, and gained the interest of the
population after the 1903 expedition by poet Leopoldo Lugones, but its
restoration didn't begin until 1940.
The main square was surrounded by the church, a cabildo, a cemetery, a monastery
and some houses. The magnificent church with 74 metres length and 24 metres
width was designed by Italian priest Juan Brasanelli, and build using the local
red sandstone. The width of the walls are around 2 metres, what in spite of the
fragile material let the constructions remain standing after over two centuries.
In 1984 the ruins were declared as World Heritage Site by UNESCO, and currently
hold the Museo Jesuítico de San Ignacio Miní museum. Other Jesuit missions'
ruins in the Misiones Province are Reducción de Santa Ana, Santa María La Mayor,
and Nuestra Señora de Loreto.
San Ignacio Miní was included in the inaugural 1996 World Monuments Watch by the
World Monuments Fund, drawing attention to the urgency of repairs and the need
for a preservation plan. With funding from American Express, the lateral
(eastern) portal was restored. Since then, the main portal of the mission has
also been restored, an interpretation center has been constructed, and a
conference on the future of the site has taken place.
Text from Wikipedia
concept of the mission facade
old tree trunk
termites in the tree
mate supplies for the visitors
