What if a piece of European religious art landed in a Buenos Aires swamp at the start of the 20th century? That’s essentially what happened with Parroquia Sagrado Corazón. We are standing before a basilica that embodies generosity and architectural beauty. It offers a refuge for urban spirituality and a fascinating tourist attraction.
Parroquia Sagrado Corazón was built in just four years. From 1904 to 1908 over a thousand workers erected this incredible building. Leonardo Pereyra Iraola provided the land. The waters of the Riachuelo River often reached these grounds. Inside, the basilica features elements that transport you to another continent.
Look up at the immense rose windows. They measure 8.50 meters in diameter. Marvel at the over thirty stained glass windows. These adorn the vast temple that houses seven altars. All are crafted from exquisite French marble. The scale of this church in Barracas is astonishing. It stretches 80 meters long. The transept measures 30 meters from end to end.
The grand organ is a Mutin Cavaillé-Coll. It was brought from France. Organists across the city highly prize it. Even the 165 benches came from Europe. You can still spot the assembly numbers. A French carpenter marked them before shipping in the early 1900s.
Notice the baldachin. It is supported by four columns with bas-reliefs. This is a rare sight in Buenos Aires churches. It provides a lesson on 20th-century liturgical history.
The Sacerdotes del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús oversee the parish. For almost sixty years they have welcomed a tradition. During the feast days, a pilgrimage and procession starts. It carries the image of the Sagrado Corazón from the Metropolitan Cathedral. The journey covers more than six kilometers.
Pope Francis has a special connection to this basilica. He knew it well as a native of Buenos Aires. As Archbishop he presided over its centenary celebrations. Martín Pereyra Iraola was the brother of Leonardo. His daughter Martha Pereyra Iraola was a Sister of the Sagrado Corazón. The Pope knew her. He even confessed her and admired her devotion. Martha studied at the school of the Society of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Later she entered their novitiate. As a nun she displayed apostolic zeal. This led her to various parts of the country.
Bergoglio and Sister Martha knew each other well. They shared missions in La Rioja when he was young. In Buenos Aires he became her confessor. He visited her in her Almagro community where she spent her final days.
Bergoglio initiated her canonization cause in 2004. He described her as “the tenderness of God that visited us.” He wrote in 2012 “I wouldn’t want to die without seeing her beatified.” In 2015 the Archbishop of Buenos Aires Cardinal Mario Poli closed the diocesan phase of her beatification cause.
The Pereyra Iraola family’s generosity towards the Sagrado Corazón gave Barracas a wonderful temple. It also provided the inspiring example of Sister Martha Pereyra Iraola’s consecrated holiness.
In 1904 Leonardo Pereyra expressed a desire. He wanted to build a chapel dedicated to the Sagrado Corazón de Jesús on his land. He passed away before fulfilling it. His widow Antonia Iraola and their six children realized his dream in his memory.
The basilica we see today began construction in 1905. Bishop Gregorio I Romero consecrated the temple on August 16 1908. That same year the school opened. It was entrusted to the Sacerdotes del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús of Betharan. Pope Pius X added this church to the “Basilica Patriarchal of Saint Peter” in Rome. Pope Pius XII declared it one of the first Minor Basilicas on May 24 1939.
The Basílica del Sagrado Corazón stands as a lasting symbol. It reflects faith, art, and the enduring legacy of a family’s devotion.