MISIÓN JESUÍTICA DE SAN COSME Y DAMIÁN

The mission was founded in 1632 by Fr. Adriano Formoso in the Sierra del Tapé, in present-day Brazil. After four migrations, it was established at the present location in 1760, and it was in this reduction that Father Buenaventura Suárez created the first astronomical observatory in South America in 1703. Today we can find its famous sundial, which works with precision. The present church suffered a serious fire in 1899, but its unburned half continued to be used as a place of worship. Restored in 1991, it is the only church of the former Jesuit reductions that still receives masses every Sunday. Inside the temple there are 22 wooden sculptures, including those of Saint Como and Saint Damien. Most of the sculptures have been finely restored, but some have retained their original polychromy. This church was originally considered temporary and was to be part of the enlarged college. On the other side of the patio are the foundations of the church, which 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, decorated with original paintings with phytomorphic motifs (unique in the old reductions), are particularly noteworthy. It is recommended to take a guide (in Spanish only) to fully appreciate the visit.