A contingency of friars from the Order of Recollects arrived in Buenos Aires early in the 18th century. Juan de Narbona, a local Spanish merchant, provided funds for their church. He named it Our Lady of Pilar after the patron saint from his home town in Spain. The golden Baroque reredos on the high altar is among the highlights. Located next to Recoleta Cemetery, the city’s second oldest church was declared a basilica in 1936 and a National Historical Monument in 1942.
