RECOLITOS CATHEDRAL & CLOISTERS BUENOS AIRES ARGENTINA BASILICA NUESTRA PILAR EVA PERON 2 13 09 Video

The Recoleta Cemetery's status as a tourist attraction is rivaled by few other sights in Buenos Aires; some compare it to Père Lachaise in Paris. It was designed by Prospero Catelin of France, following a proposal by Bernardino Rivadavia, and opened in 1822 as a public cemetery for ordinary citizens. Now it hosts many former Presidents and, most famously, Eva Perón, in mausolea of marble, bronze and granite. Recoleta centers on a square in front of the Cemetery and the neighbouring Basilica Nuestra Señora Del Pilar church. This was a relatively high point on the banks of the river and served as a hiding place for bandits in the 17th century. In the early 18th century, French Franciscans known as the Padres Recoletos built a chapel and convent in the area. The Jesuits also arrived and built the Basilica, completed in 1732. This colonial-style church is fitted with a magnificent Baroque altar, brought from Peru, decorated with Jujuy silver and pre-Hispanic ornamentation