Historic Buenos Aires Church Closed After Cracks Appear Amidst City Construction

The Monastery of Santa Catalina, a cornerstone of Buenos Aires' colonial heritage founded in 1745, now stands silent, its doors marked "Closed momentarily" and "Structural risk." This iconic church, one of the last vestiges of old Porteno architecture, has been unexpectedly marred by deep fissures that appeared with alarming speed.

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Closed momentarily

Father Gustavo Antico, the rector, expressed grave concern, stating that the cracks emerged "in a matter of hours" after construction work began on Viamonte street. He described how these fissures, some seemingly traversing the building's thick columns and even reaching the dome, were not present the week before. The church community has resorted to marking the new cracks with blue tape, a stark visual testament to the rapid deterioration.

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Structural risk

While the city government asserts that pre-existing conditions are to blame and that an assessment was conducted before the work began, Father Antico vehemently disagrees. He argues that the vibrations from the heavy machinery, including pneumatic drills, likely caused the centuries-old structure, which he notes lacks deep foundations, to shift. "They did not take the precautions to prevent this from happening," he lamented.

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In a matter of hours, the church and the entire complex filled with cracks. Some seem really deep and cross the columns, which are two meters thick. One of the cracks crosses the entire building and reaches the dome.

This incident highlights a recurring tension in rapidly developing cities like Buenos Aires: the clash between modernization and heritage preservation. While progress is often necessary, the methods employed must be sensitive to the historical fabric of the city. The closure of Santa Catalina is not just a loss for its parishioners but for all of Buenos Aires, a city grappling with how to balance its future with its invaluable past.

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There are things that cannot be done. This building is very old and has no foundations. We believe that by excavating and drilling the asphalt with these machines, the building may have shifted. Even if it was only a few millimeters, it was enough for it to fill with cracks. They did not take the precautions to prevent this from happening.