Basilicas in Bolivia, Paraguay, Suriname, and Uruguay

Bolivia

I blogged about the following basilicas on July 8, 2020.

Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Sucre, Chuquisaca.
Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace, La Paz, La Paz.
Cathedral Basilica of St. Lawrence, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz.

Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace, Potosi, Potosi

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius XI in 1938.

The church is the cathedral for the Diocese of Potosi. The current church was built between 1808 and 1838 on the site of the previous 16th Century church which had collapsed. The church was built using neoclassical and Baroque styles and has a stone façade. The church has many religious items made of gold and silver. For many years, the mines near Potosi supplied significant amounts of silver for the Spanish Empire.

Pictures are from Alamy and Wikipedia.

Basilica of Our Lady of Candelaria, Copacabana, La Paz

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius XII in 1940.

The Basilica was built in 1550 and rebuilt between 1610 and 1651 in the Renaissance and Moorish styles. It has a statue of the Virgin of Candelaria that was carved by an indigenous artist in 1580. In 2013, robbers stole gold and silver items from the Virgin’s statue and even stole a statue of the Baby Jesus. May God have mercy on their souls.

Pictures are from a local source and Wikipedia.

Basilica of St. Francis, La Paz, La Paz

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius XII in 1948.

The Franciscans built a church on this site in downtown La Paz in the 16th Century but it collapsed during a snowstorm in the early 17th Century. The current Mestizo Baroque church was built between 1743 and 1758. A leader of Bolivian independence, Pedro Murillo (1757 to 1810), is buried in the church.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of St. Anthony the Abbot, Caquiaviri, La Paz

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1991.

The Franciscans built this church between 1560 and 1570. The church is mostly Baroque but has a Renaissance façade. Inside are canvas paintings with religious themes.

The first picture is from a local source and the others are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of St. Francis, Sucre, Chuquisaca

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1999.

The Colonial Baroque church was built by the Franciscans between 1539 and 1581. One of the Basilica’s bells is known as the “Liberty Bell” because it was rung to call the people to rise up against Spanish colonial authorities. The Bolivian president expropriated the church in 1825 to use for secular purposes. It did not reopen as a church until 1868, and the Franciscans did not return until 1925. The Bolivian army continues to use one of the former church buildings.

The first two pictures are from local sources and the last is from Wikipedia.

Basilica of Mary, Help of Christians, La Paz, La Paz

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 2000.

The modern art deco church was built in the mid-1900s.

Pictures are from Flickr and Wikipedia.

Paraguay

Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar, Pilar, Neembucu

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1979.

The church replaced a 19th Century church, although the bell tower from that church remains. This church, with its marble and wood interior, was built during the first half of the 20th Century. Italian Redemptorists took charge of the church in 1951 and greatly improved its appearance.

Pictures are from a local source, TripAdvisor, and Wikipedia.

Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Miracles, Caacupe, Cordillera

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Francis in 2015.

The Basilica is the cathedral for the Diocese of Caacupe. It was built in 1765 and is a national shrine in Paraguay. Two popes—John Paul II and Francis—have visited the Basilica.

The top picture is from Alamy and the other two are from Wikipedia.

Suriname

Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul, Paramaribo

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Francis in 2014.

The first church was a converted theater that served the parish from 1826 to 1885. The current building was constructed with cedar wood between 1883 and 1887, and the towers were not completed until 1901. The church became the Diocesan cathedral in 1958. The cathedral was closed between 1989 and 2010 for renovations.

The first picture is from a local source, the second from Pinterest, and the last two from Wikipedia.

Uruguay

I blogged about the following basilica on January 6, 2021.

Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, St. Philip and St. James, Montevideo, Montevideo.

Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, Paysandu, Paysandu

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius XII in 1949.

The Basilica is also dedicated to St. Benedict of Palermo. The parish was established in 1805, and the current church was built in 1860. It was severely damaged in 1864-5 during a civil war but was eventually rebuilt.

Pictures are from a local source and Wikipedia.

Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph, San Jose de Mayo, San Jose

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius XII in 1957.

The Basilica is the cathedral for the Diocese of San Jose de Mayo. It was constructed between 1857 and 1874.

The first two pictures are from local sources and the last is from Wikipedia.

Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Lujan, Florida, Florida

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John XXIII in 1963.

The Basilica is the cathedral for the Diocese of Florida. The neo-Renaissance church was built between 1894 and 1897 and has twin 200-foot-tall towers. The Basilica houses a cedar wood statue of the Virgin Mary known as the Virgin of the Thirty-Three Orientals—a title of Uruguayan origin dating to the 1800s.

The first picture is from Flickr, the second is from a local source, and the last two are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of the Blessed Sacrament, Colonia del Sacramento, Colonia

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1997.

Although the parish dates to 1680, a substantial church was not built until 1810. This building was mostly destroyed in 1823 after lightning struck gunpowder stored in the sacristy. It was restored between 1836 and 1841 and further improvements were made in the 19th and 20th Centuries.