Comuna 2
Recoleta
It took its name from the Convent of Recoletos Descalzos, built on a farm called “Los ombúes”, which the founding neighbor and first mayor, Rodrigo Ortiz de Zarate, received in the land distribution made by Juan de Garay in 1583.
And the date of its anniversary comes from the Convent and Church of Nuestra Señora del Pilar, which the Recoletos began to build in 1706 and inaugurated on October 12, 1732.
The Recoleta Cemetery was born together with the temple. During the time of Rivadavia, it was expropriated and transformed into the North Cemetery. Then, during the mayorship of Torcuato de Alvear, the cemetery was remodeled and the entrance that we see today was built.
Previously, it was a depopulated and lonely place and as the construction increased, the slaughterhouse and the cemetery were established, its appearance changed and it was transformed. Then, with the creation of Paseo de la Recoleta, it became a residential and luxurious neighborhood.
The evolution of this neighborhood was rapid and abrupt, due to the fact that the villas in the area completely disappeared until it became one of the most luxurious areas of the City.
Due to the yellow fever epidemic in 1871, wealthy families who lived in the southern area emigrated to the north where they built French-style mansions. This, added to the great French immigration received since 1840, produced a change in the architectural landscape of the neighborhood and made it known as the “Petit Paris of Buenos Aires.”
In its surroundings there are large cultural spaces, historical monuments, the National Museum of Fine Arts, the National Library, the UBA Law School and the Recoleta Cultural Center, among others.
