SANTÍSIMA TRINIDAD DEL PARANÁ
GUARANI JESUIT MISSION

The Santísima Trinidad del Paraná Guarani Jesuit Mission (1706) was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1993. In 1728, it came to house 3,000 Guarani indigenous people.

The mission is a display of baroque magnificence and grandeur. The highlight, without a doubt, is its incredible richness and variety in the ornamental remains sculpted in stone by the indigenous people. The baptismal font and the pulpit are two pieces of great preciousness and unparalleled virtuosity.

The Plaza Mayor’s greatness is an indication of the significance and importance of this place as a center where power was exhibited through army parades, processions, and theatrical and musical performances. As for the musical arts, Trinidad became a point of reference in choir related aspects. Located 31 km from Encarnacion and 402 km from Asuncion, tourists can visit the Mission starting at 8 am. In addition, the “Lights and sounds” cultural tour can be seen from Friday to Sunday, at 7:00 pm. (in winter) and 8:00 p.m. (in summer).

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JESÚS DE TAVARANGÜÉ GUARANÍ JESUIT
MISSION

The Jesús de Tavarangüé Guaraní Jesuit Mission (1685) has been a World Heritage Site since 1993. Its second settlement was in full swing of construction when the expulsion of the Jesuits from Paraguayan lands was decreed. The temple was projected as a replica of the Loyola Church in Italy, and as the largest among the existing missions. Incomparable Moorish-inspired mistilineal arches are found in its portico, a detail that makes it completely different from any other reduction.

Another unique attraction can be experienced in roofless temple’s perfect acoustics, a phenomenon that the visitor can easily verify; for when speaking, everything seems to be amplified.

This mission offers the visitor the possibility of being transported to the past, through a 3D video mapping that takes place from Friday to Sunday, at 6:00 p.m. (wintertime) and 8:00 p.m.(summertime).

SAN COSME AND SAN DAMIÁN GUARANÍ JESUIT MISSION

The San Cosme and San Damián Guaraní Jesuit Mission (1632) is a cultural heritage of Paraguay. It is located 90 km from Encarnacion and 333 km from Asuncion.

One of its main leaders was the priest Buenaventura Suárez, a Jesuit scientist and Paraguay’s first astronomer, who built the San Cosme and San Damián observatory in the 18th century.

Today, the mission features a dome-shaped, sliding-roof planetarium, an astronomical observatory, and a multimedia projection room, named after its forerunner.

The old church erected in 1718 was rebuilt between 1989 and 1991 and remains to this day the only church in the community.

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) awarded the San Cosme and San Damián commune the “Best Tourism Villages” distinction, which is awarded to towns that see tourism as an engine for rural development and well-being.