Argentina – El Paseo del Buen Pastor in Córdoba

A Cultural Centre With Expositions and Family-friendly Activities

Sep 1, 2008 Karin-Marijke Vis

El Paseo del Buen Pastor in Córdoba is a family-oriented cultural centre with exhibitions, musical performances, activities for children, shops and a musical fountain.

In 2007 El Museo del Buen Pastor, as El Paseo del Buen Pastor is also called, opened its doors in the heart of Córdoba town, in the triangle of Av. Yrigoyen, Buenos Aires and Obispo Oro. In this cultural centre all family members will find something to their liking. But this locality wasn't always so charming: in the past it served as a women’s prison and an orphanage.

History of El Paseo del Buen Pastor – a Women's Prison and Orphanage

Nothing but a plaque commemorating the women prisoners refers to El Buen Pastor's history. Together with the orphanage it was run by the nuns of the French congregation “Nuestra Señora de la Caridad del Buen Pastor de Angers", who arrived in South America around 1900. When taking in the size of the restaurant – where the prison was located – it's hard to imagine that up to 170 women lived here, including their children until the age of five.

A chapel was constructed between the women’s prison and the orphanage [where now the ponds are situated]. The south transept served as an education centre for the women, in the north transept the orphans were taught. Both transepts were cut off from the nave by stone walls, except for a narrow strip of iron grating. This way the women and children were able to hear Mass and receive the Host.

Paintings by Emilio Caraffa at El Paseo del Buen Pastor

The walls and ceilings of the chapel are covered in paintings by the Cordobese painter Emilio Caraffa, showing the four apostles in the corners underneath the dome and biblical stories on the walls. More work of Emilio Caraffa can be admired in the Museo Provincial de Belles Artes "Emilio Caraffa" [Plaza España] and Museo Superior de Belles Artes "Palacio Ferreyra" [Av. Yrigoyen 551].

In the chapel, which nowadays is used for expositions and performances, there is also a Tourist Information stand from where guided tours of El Paseo del Buen Pastor are organized [in Spanish and English]. They have information on art exhibitions and other activities which are scheduled in the chapel and in other parts of the centre.

Musical Fountain of El Paseo del Buen Pastor

A typical family-oriented pleasure is the musical fountain. Every hour the loudspeakers blast and the fountain dances for ten minutes, in the evening lit up by multicolored lamps. In between the hourly "agua danzantes", there are shops to check out – like the well-stocked leather boutique – alternating art expositions to enjoy, or restaurant to drink a cup of coffee. Meanwhile kids can be entertained with paper and paint boxes in the staffed kids’ corner.

El Paseo del Buen Pastor and the adjacent Sagrado Corazón Padres Capuchinos Church

The Cultural Centre of El Buen Pastor is an excellent day outing thanks to its family-oriented activities. Next to Museo del Buen Pastor stands the Sagrado Corazón Padres Capuchinos Church, impressive for its rich neo-Gothic style, while the imperfection of man is shown in its having only one steeple – as goes one of the theories for the missing steeple.

Five blocks northward, going from Av. Yrigoyen onto Obispo Trejo, starts the old centre of Córdoba with an incredible collection of astonishing churches and architecturally interesting buildings. The Tourist Information [in the "Cabildo" on Plaza San Martín] provides maps and information on guided tours. Historic culture around Córdoba is abundant on "Estancias Jesuíticas" and good accommodations in the area are Estancia las Cañitas and El Puesto.

The copyright of the article Argentina – El Paseo del Buen Pastor in Córdoba in South America Travel is owned by Karin-Marijke Vis. Permission to republish Argentina – El Paseo del Buen Pastor in Córdoba in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Cultural Centre El Paseo del Buen Pastor, Córdoba	El Museo del Buen Pastor, Córdoba, Argentina	Reflection of Iglesia del Sagrado Corazón, Córdoba
Sagrado Corazón Padres Capuchinos Church, Córdoba