Religion and conquest of Patagonia European: References in its Religious Architecture (1869-1932)

Abstract

The Salesian congregation accompanied the military conquest of Patagonia, participating in the installation of the dominant power. The satisfaction of new functional requirements for the development of the cult was associated with iconic symbols recognized and embodied in its architecture. In this research we carried out a preliminary investigation of the authors and external references that consolidated the occupation of the newly conquered territory.

Based on the hypothesis of the symbolic and political power held by these influences, we sought to examine the technical training and production of the Salesian priests who set up both temples and religious schools. The study served to corroborate the refusal to accept or recognize the pre-existing cultures, the indirect influence of the European academies, the validity and permanence of symbolic messages over time and the marked contrast between the solutions adopted in northern and southern Patagonian.