Here stands Parroquia Nuestra Señora de Pompeya. This Catholic parish and Marian shrine resides in the Nueva Pompeya neighborhood. It graces the southern part of Buenos Aires.
Parroquia Nuestra Señora de Pompeya stands as one of Argentina’s earliest examples of Neo-Gothic architecture. It remains one of the few such examples in Buenos Aires. The Archdiocese of Buenos Aires oversees this church. The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin tends to the parish. Celebrations honoring the Virgin take place on May 8 and the first Sundays of October.
In 1895, Italian priest Darío Broggi erected a small chapel. He dedicated it to the Virgin of the Rosary of Pompeya. This occurred in the “barrio de las ranas” which translates to “neighborhood of the frogs”. On May 14, 1896, the Archbishop of Buenos Aires blessed the cornerstone. The land belonged to the Vincentian women. The church officially opened on June 29, 1900. However, final touches occurred in later years.
Notice the building’s defining feature. It is its single tall tower with a clock. The temple’s naves boast stained glass. These stained glass windows originated from the Zeller house of Munich, Germany.
In 2000, then Archbishop of Buenos Aires Jorge Bergoglio consecrated the building as a sanctuary. Parroquia Nuestra Señora de Pompeya is among the most visited churches by the parishioners of Buenos Aires.
In 1922, a significant event took place here. A wooden sculpture portraying the Virgin of the Rosary received a blessing. Around one hundred thousand people attended the ceremony.
Father Darío Broggi also tended pastorally to “Los Corrales” which means “The Corrals”. He raised the first chapel on Boedo Street. It stood between 2nd Arenas and Puente Aisina. He named it “Nueva Pompeya” evoking the Sanctuary of the Virgin in the city of Pompeya. Later this would give the definitive name to that neighborhood of the Capital.
The opening took place on September 22, 1895. On May 14 of the following year, Archbishop Monsignor Uladislao Castellano blessed the cornerstone of the future temple.
Unsolvable difficulties caused the Italian Fathers to give up the task. The superior general then sent Capuchin priests from the province of Navarra-Cantabria and Aragón. They arrived in Buenos Aires in 1902.
On July 4, 1902, a grand procession occurred. Approximately five thousand people walked to the new temple of Nueva Pompeya. Miss María Luisa Calviño organized it. Archbishop Monsignor Mariano A. Espinosa presided over the column.
Monsignor Espinosa blessed the Virgin’s dressing room on May 3, 1914. He also blessed the image brought from Spain. It has been venerated there ever since.
The culminating event took place on August 20, 1922. The apostolic Nuncio, Monsignor Alberto Vasallo Di Torregrossa, performed the pontifical coronation. The coronation was for the image of the Virgin.
Now, remember one thing as you leave. A woman who had been bedridden for about 18 years walked. This happened after a month of visiting the Virgin’s dressing room on the first floor.