South America Argentina
La Rioja
Church of St. Dominic
 

For a brief history of the Dominicans in Argentina, click here.

A brief history.

La Rioja, capital of La Rioja province, north-western Argentina, on La Rioja River at the foot of the Velasco Mountains, was founded in 1591 by the governor of Tucumán, and the explorers for gold and silver. It long remained a small commercial and administrative centre, close to intermittently worked deposits of copper, silver, and lead ores in the high Andes to the west. The area remained part of Tucumán province and under the control of the viceroyalty of Peru until 1782, when it came under the jurisdiction of the viceroyalty of Río de la Plata as part of the intendencia (intendence) of Córdoba. After separating from Córdoba in 1816 and achieving the rank of province in 1820, La Rioja experienced 50 years of civil war and unrest. The establishment of an effective national government in Buenos Aires in the 1860s contributed to the province's stability. The destruction of La Rioja city by earthquake in 1894 led to its reconstruction along modern lines. Notable landmarks include the ruins of a 16^th -century Jesuit church and regional museums of archaeology and folklore.

There are many priories and churches in the city, among others the Dominican church of Santo Domingo from 1623; it may be the oldest church in Argentina.

Source: Enc. Britannica CD 99.

Philately

The church of Saint Dominic in La Rioja,
built in 1623, and it may be the oldest
church of Argentina.

Argentina 1998, Mi 2409, Sc 1889.

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