MISIÓN JESUÍTICA DE SAN COSME Y DAMIÁN

The mission was founded in 1632 by Father Adriano Formoso in the sierra del Tapé, in present-day Brazil. After four migrations, it moved to its present location in 1760, where Father Buenaventura Suárez established South America's first astronomical observatory in 1703. Its famous sundial can be seen today, working with precision. The present-day church suffered a serious fire in 1899, but the unburnt half continued to be used as a place of worship. Restored in 1991, it is the only church of the former Jesuit Reductions still to receive masses, every Sunday. Inside the temple, 22 wooden sculptures, including those of St. Como and St. Damian. Most of the carvings have been finely restored, but some have retained their original polychromy. This church was originally considered temporary and was to form part of the enlarged college. On the other side of the patio are the foundations of the church that could not be built, due to the expulsion of the Jesuits in 1767, and which would have had the same physiognomy as that of the Jesús mission. The reduction preserves a large cloister, where the Jesuit college was located. The ceilings are decorated with original paintings featuring phytomorphic motifs, a unique feature in old reductions. A guide (in Spanish only) is recommended to fully appreciate the visit.