We gazed up at the intricately carved decorations on the stone walls and were in awe. The remote Paraguayan forest seemed one of the most unlikely places to find something so beautiful. In fact, this area is home to remarkable historic Jesuit mission churches whose weathered stone walls still display wonderful old details. Once we saw them, we were even more shocked that there weren’t more visitors. Exploring the Jesuit Missions in Paraguay was our favourite experience in the country, and we’re excited to share these extraordinary sites with you.
The Jesuits
The Jesuits arrived in this region in 1588 with the intention of Christianising the local indigenous Guarani population. Thirty missions were established in the Guarani territory and collectively were called Missions Río de la Plata. When the Jesuits arrived, the Guarini were not hostile and accepted the missionaries’ protection from Spanish conquistador slave camps. In return, unlike other missions, the Guarani were not stripped of their culture. Instead, the Jesuits allowed some beliefs to continue, resulting in a blend of Christian and Guarani traditions. The Jesuits even learned the Guarani language and translated the Bible into Guarani.
Not only did the Jesuits build churches, but they also developed entire villages, called reductions. The Guarani were historically semi-nomadic, but the Jesuits taught them the skills to build permanent homes and community buildings. By making the Guarani live in permanent settlements, they were reducing the Guarani’s freedom to wander and therfore, making it easier to control them. It was for this reason that they were referred to as reductions.
Due to their remote locations, the missions throughout South America were largely independent from the local governments, yet still received financial support from the Spanish king. Eventually, this led to them having substantial power and, coupled with their influence over the people, the king of Spain became worried he’d lose control. As a result, the Jesuits were recalled to Spain in 1767.
There are three Jesuit missions located near the beach city of Encarnacion. We visited the two that have been declared UNESCO Heritage Sites.
La Santísima Trinidad de Paraná
Established by Jesuits in 1706, La Santísima Trinidad de Paraná may be in ruins, but the main church still has enough details to allow visitors to envision its former brilliance. As we walked up to the large building, we tried to imagine the indigenous Guarani people’s reaction when they saw it for the first time. It must have been overwhelming. It was for us, over 300 years later.
Main Church
Most Jesuit churches were built with wood, including the altar, pulpit and all ornamentation. We saw a few of those in Bolivia, and a Franciscan one in Yaguaron, Paraguay. The main church in Trinidad was the first in Paraguay that was made with stone and brick.
Built only 20 years before the Jesuits were exiled, it didn’t take long for the church’s foundation to show signs of stress. The damp jungle ground couldn’t support the massive weight of the stone building, and it began to sink. So, six years after the Jesuits left, the Spanish dismantled the façade, and most of the remaining building collapsed soon after.
Thankfully, the front wall of the large Baroque church is still intact, because it is the star attraction. Reliefs of angels and floral designs decorate the eaves, while the mouldings that surround the doorways and niches still show details of their original carvings.
Our favourite part was the long frieze of musical angels that wraps around the front wall. They are in remarkably good condition, considering they have been exposed to the junlge’s harsh climate for a couple of hundred years.
The old altar has been pieced back together, but the pulpit and baptismal font are almost entirely intact.
Most of the sculpting was done by Guarani artists. They learned these skills from European artists who were brought to South America specifically to work on these churches.
There are two on-site museums. The one located in the sacristy of the main church features several artifacts that were found on the grounds. You can see masks, life-size statues and other decorations that once graced these walls.
On the side of the church is a walled room with only a small opening to the nave. It was a prison that held up to 12 people. The jail was purposely located next to the nave so that prisoners could hear the sermons. You can see the small opening in the wall near the top of the building in the picture below.
Small Church and Bell Tower
A little further away is another church. It was built in 1776, nine years after the Jesuits left. In some parts of Paraguay, the locals had become such devout followers that they continued the missions even after the Jesuits were gone. That was the case in Trinidad, at least for a few years. There are fewer decorative details in this church, but you can still see carvings in the many columns.
Between the two churches are the ruins of a cloister and a cemetery. There’s not much left today, but their presence allows you a better idea of the size of the complex.
Beside the smaller church is a large bell tower that is mostly intact. It was built at the same time as this smaller church.
Trinidad Town
The Jesuits didn’t just build churches; they created entire towns with homes, workshops, and farms. Streets were designed in a grid pattern, as we see in many Spanish colonial towns. The Jesuits took a novel approach in running these reductions. They appointed local Guaranis as town leaders. The bishops played an administrative role and interacted with the government, but local governing was the role of the Guarani. It was called a social experiment. The result was that most of the Jesuit towns, including Trinidad, were run more like communes, where everyone had a role, and all contributed and profited from the economy. They traded goods with other missions, but the only currency was yerba mate, the plant used to make the popular mate tea.
Trinidad was founded in 1706 with 600 families. Twenty years later, it grew to have over 4,000 residents, but by 1788, roughly ten years after the Jesuits were exiled, only 57 families remained in Trinidad. The ruins were rediscovered 200 years after their abandonment.
Around the edges of the site, you can see the ruins of many row houses, and the old workshops are found a little further away.
As we walked through the large site we met a few locals. Burrowing owls were hiding out in the ruins and southern lapwings paraded on the grounds.
Entry Fee – 40,000 PYG ($5USD). This fee includes entrance to all three missions; Opening Hours – 7am to 10pm daily (closes at 9pm in winter). There is a light show in the evening.
Jesus de Tavarangue
Ten kilometres from Trinidad is another Jesuit mission. Priests began building Jesus de Tavarangue Mission in 1749, but less than 20 years later, they were exiled by the Spanish king. Therefore, the buildings are much younger than those in Trinidad, and instead of being in ruins, most of these were abandoned, still unfinished.
As a result, most of the church’s walls remain, but there are very few decorative features, and it has no ceiling. It was meant to emulate the Il Gesù Church, home of the Jesuits in Rome. It’s difficult to tell in its current condition if it would have achieved that goal or not.
There aren’t a lot of details in this building, just a few carvings on the corners. Two main features stand out, though. The first is the inclusion of two pulpits. This design was apparently meant provide a more conversational method of preaching. By speaking across the nave, the congregation would feel more included than in conventional designs.
The other unique features are the Mudéjar elements on the entryways. These horseshoe arches demonstrate the influence from parts of Spain such as Andalusia. These are the only known Mudejar details in a Jesuit church.
We saw many Mudejar examples in Spain. You can read about some in our post from Frigiliana and Nerja.
The main church also has the remains of a sacristy, chapel, priests’ residence and a school. Its old Bell Tower is still standing, and you can climb up to its top for a view of the complex.
At the far side of the complex are the foundations of the indigenous houses. We’re not sure if they are in ruins or were left unfinished.
Entry fee – 40,000 PYG ($5USD). This fee includes entrance to all three missions; Opening Hours – 7am to 7:30 pm (closes at 6:30pm in winter)
Other Jesuit ruins to see in the area:
San Cosme y San Damien
The third mission on the same entry ticket is Cosme y Damien. It is the only Jesuit Mission in Paraguay that still has a functioning church. We had intended to visit, but the region was experiencing torrential downpours which prevented us from seeing it. If you are able to visit, please let us know how it was.
Entry fee – 40,000 PYG ($5USD). This fee includes entrance to all three missions; Opening Hours 7am to 7:30 pm, (6:30 in the winter)
San Ignacio Mini Jesuit Ruins
This UNESCO World Heritage Site is located 60 km from Posadas, Argentina, which is across the river from Encarnacion.
How to Visit the Jesuit Missions
The closest city to access the Jesuit ruins is Encarnacion, Paraguay. We had been told that any bus travelling Ruta 6 from Encarnacion would drop us off in Trinidad, where we could then take a local taxi to Jesus and catch a bus back. Everyone assured us that they leave the bus station every 30 minutes. After waiting 1 ½ hours, we still did not have a ride, so we shared a taxi with another traveller. The price was 350,000 PYG ($50USD) for the return trip to both missions.
You can also visit the missions from the Argentine city of Posadas, located across the river. You can read more about Posadas in our next post.
Trinidad and Encarnacion can be found in the lower part of the map. It is an interactive map, so you can zoom-in, or click on a marker for a link to the post from that region.
You can read more information on the Paraguayan city of Encarnacion in our next post.
San Buenaventura Church
Although most of what we read about are the Jesuit missions in South America, it was, in fact, the Franciscans who began the process in 1538. We visited a Franciscan Mission Church in Yaguarón, Paraguay. It is considered the best-preserved mission church in Paraguay and is pictured below.
If you want to read more, we posted about it in our post, Franciscan Mission Church In Yaguaron.
If you want to read about other Jesuit Missions in South America, visit our posts Jesuit Missions of Chiquitania, Bolivia, or Jesuit Monuments in Córdoba, Argentina.
Click on the link to go directly to our Travel Tips for Paraguay.
To read more of our adventures in Paraguay, click here.
Coming Next – Visting Jesuit Missions – Encarnacion Or Posadas
For pictures from other blogs go to Gallery at monkeystale.ca.
To read about more of our adventures go to Destinations.
If you like what you read, please comment or share (with credit) using the links below.
We'd love to hear from you, please leave a comment.