MISIÓN JESUÍTICA DE JESÚS DE TAVARANGÜÉ

UNESCO classified the ruins of the reduction of Jesús as World Heritage of Humanity in 1993, together with those of Trinidad. It is one of the least visited World Heritage sites in the world, so enjoy! The reduction of Jesús de Tavarangüé is one of the most complete expressions of Jesuit town planning, and it would be a shame to be satisfied with the visit of the Trinidad mission alone (which receives four times as many visitors), knowing that the two sites are only 12 km from each other (a taxi takes 70,000 Gs for the trip). It is recommended to take a guide, to discover more in depth this historical and cultural heritage, and to transport oneself at the time of the missions. Recently, a video mapping of about twenty minutes is projected on the back wall of the church (in the open air) from Wednesday to Sunday evening (7:30 pm in winter, 8 pm in summer, which leaves just enough time to join the sound and light of Trinidad which starts one hour later). The reduction of Jesús was founded in 1685 on the banks of the Río Monday, before moving to the vicinity of Trinidad in 1758, to escape the bandeirantes. The plan of the mission shows similarities with that of Trinidad and other Jesuit missions: around the church, center of the spiritual life, were the residences of the Jesuit fathers and the Guarani caciques. The rest of the mission included cloisters that served as workshops (foundry, pottery, mill, kilns...), a courtyard, the tupa mbaé ("Land of God", collectively owned), the prison and the cemetery. Close to the church was a large square oriented towards the four cardinal points, from which wide streets started. The houses, or casas de indios, were rectangular with arcades. A sign at the entrance to the site gives an idea of the spatial organization of the reduction, which housed 3,000 Guaranis. The architecture of the reduction is characterized by the combination of different styles, including the Mudéjar style, with tri-lobed arches, the only example of this type in the region. The most important building is the imposing stone church (62 meters long x 24 meters wide), which must have been the most imposing and modern in the region. It was under construction in 1767, when the Jesuits were expelled. The central pillars to support the future roof were already built, but the temple could never be completed, even by the Franciscans and Dominicans who took over, as can be seen from the inscriptions "S. Fra.co de Asis 1776" and "S. To Domingo de Gúzman" in the church above the altar. The takeover by these religious orders was a failure, as in Trinidad, the reduction was emptied of its inhabitants and was definitively abandoned, towards the middle of the 19th century. Restoration work began in the 1960s. The site was cleared and the walls carefully cleaned of the vegetation that covered them. In addition to the church, the visit allows you to appreciate the location of the Grand-Place, the college, the coty guazú (asylum for widows and orphans) and the orchard. Finally, don't forget to climb to the top of the 15-metre high tower for a beautiful view of the surrounding countryside, especially at sunset. On a clear day, it is possible to see the ruins of the Trinidad mission.