Catedral Metropolitana Review

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Catedral Metropolitana

  • Address: Rivadavía and San Martín, Plaza de Mayo, Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires
  • Phone: 11/4331-2845

Fodor's Review:

The Metropolitan Cathedral's columned neoclassical facade makes it seem more like a temple than a church, and its history follows the pattern of many structures in the Plaza de Mayo area. The first of six buildings on this site was a 16th-century adobe ranch house; the current structure dates from 1822 but has been added to several times. The embalmed remains of General José de San Martín, known as the Liberator of Argentina for his role in the War of Independence, rest here in a marble mausoleum lit by an eternal flame. Soldiers of the Grenadier Regiment, an elite troop created and trained by San Martín in 1811, permanently guard the tomb. Group tours in English are available, but you need to call ahead.

  • Cost: Free
  • Open: Weekdays 8-7, weekends 9-7:30
  • Metro: A to Plaza de Mayo, D to Catedral, E to Bolívar
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