San Telmo Neighborhood, Buenos Aires city, Argentina

San Telmo is one of the oldest and charming neighborhoods of Buenos Aires city, an interesting combination of bohemian and tango. Initially, it was named Altos de San Pedro and was inhabited by the port workers. It is considered the cradle of poor area, place of folksingers (payadores) and innumerable old houses and the Argentinean tango.

San Telmo is one of the best preserved areas in Buenos Aires, and is characterized by its colonial big houses.

On Saturdays in the afternoon and Sundays during the day, Defensa street turn into a pedestrian walk where you will enjoy observing the street artists, puppeteers, magicians and alive statues.

Limits

San Telmo neighborhood is among Chile, Piedras streets, Caseros, Defensa, Martín García, Paseo Colon, Brasil and Ing. Huergo avenues.

Places to visit

Among the numerous attractions, we can make mention the following ones:

"Canto al Trabajo" Monument
Paseo Colón 800

It is a work of Rogelio de Yrurtia Argentinean sculptor of 14 human bronze sculptures, one of the most famous works of Argentina, is located in "Coronel Manuel de Olazábal" small square.

San Lorenzo Passage
Estados Unidos and Balcarce

It is a-two blocks long passage, located in San Telmo neighborhood, there, it is possible to visit “Los Patios de San Telmo” gallery, typical house of XVIII century.

La Casa Mínima
San Lorenzo 380

It was originally built for slaves housing, is named Mínima due to its proportions, is the narrowest house of Buenos Aires whose façade is only 2,2 meters wide. It is the rest of a construction of the second decade of XIX century, is located in San Lorenzo passage; one of its peculiarities is a writing story about a black and slaves on the wall.

Iglesia Dinamarquesa (Dane Church)
Carlos Calvo 257

It is a neo-gothic style construction, work of Ronnow and Bisgaars Danes. It was inaugurated in 1931. The tower and the roofs have neo-gothic characteristics, the stairs are an allegory to those in Jacob dream.

In the interior, there is a scale model of "Copenhague", training ship of Dane Army.

Juan Carlos Castagnino´s House
Balcarce 1016

This house dates back to XVIII century, belonged to Juan Carlos Castagnino famous painter because of the illustration about the perpetrate Martín Fierro of José Hernández.

Galería del Viejo Hotel (gallery)
Balcarce 1053

It is a-two storey construction, dates back to 1860, initially was hotel, then was turned into an art gallery and painters and sculptures workshop, but without loosing its essence. Nowadays it has a restaurant and a spectacles room.

Antigua Tasca de Cuchilleros
Carlos Calvo 319

Construction was built in XIX century; except the front room which dates back to ends of XVIII century.

It keeps a tragic love story; this is about Ciriaco Cuitiño, shotguns boss, who fire to Margarita, daughter of Ollides sergent, when she was running off with a folk singer “payador” whom she was love in. Now the construction is inhabited by "Antigua Tasca de Cuchilleros".

Esteban de Luca´s House
Carlos Calvo nearly Defensa

The house dates back to XVIII century, is considered Historic National Monument, is located on Carlos Calvo street nearly Defensa corner.
Nowadays, there is a crowded café-restaurant. This historic house was inhabited by Esteban de Luca military, poet and journalist, author of the first patriot song. The house was remodeled, conserving architectonic elements of that epoch.

San Telmo Market
Bolívar, Carlos Calvo, Defensa, Estados Unidos

A hundred-year-old market was inaugurated in 1897, was built by
Architect Juan Antonio Buschiazzo. Its façade has characteristics of Italian style and inside there is an iron structure with sheets roof and glass. It is a worthy of visiting place, since has conserved the original architecture.

Borrego Square
Between Humberto Iº, Defensa, Anselmo Aieta and Bethlem

It is a historic place, the oldest square after Plaza de Mayo, considered the main point for tourism, is delimited by the following streets: Defensa, Humberto I°, Bethlem and Anselmo Aieta, and is considered the second green and old place of the city.

San Pedro Telmo Fair (Anticues fair)
Plaza Dorrego
Every Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00hrs, there is a fair in Borrego square, a big antiques fair with more than two hundred seventy stands that sell: antiquities, old objects, a lot of adornments and singular objects.

This traditional fair is organized by City Museum, is worthy of being visited where there are mimes, tango dancers, folksingers and craftsmen.

Nuestra Sra. de Belén Church - San Pedro Gonzalez Telmo Parish
Humberto 1º 340

This old church was built at the end of 1734, work of Andrés Blanqui, Jesuit architect, was declared historic Monument in 1943.

The façade has eclectic style, with neo-colonial elements, mixing post colonial, baroques, neoclassic and Italian styles. On the top there are San Pedro Gonzáles Telmo picture and its octagonal floor dome with majolica covering.

La Defensa Passage
Defensa 1179

Traditional house from end of XIX century, was residence of Ezeiza family It shows the colonial Buenos Aires, has two storeys, several rooms overlooking a side gallery. Nowadays, there are a commercial center, antiques sale, and locals of clothing, pictures, souvenirs, etc.

Modern Art Museum of City Government
Av. San Juan 350

Building made with red bricks. Years ago, it was a deposit of cigar factory “43”, whose logo is on the façade. The building dates back to 1918, was remodeled but conserves its original architecture. There are many collections, contemporary fine arts expositions, and the most outstanding works of international fine arts.

Historic National Museum
Defensa 1600

Founded in May 24, 1889, in what was Gregorio de Lezama´s house in 1897. This heritage shows the May Revolution traditions, the Independence wars and other very important periods of national history of XIX century.

Rusian Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity
Brasil 315

It is a beauty building inaugurated in 1904, by initiative of Constantino Izrastzoff Russian priest, work of architect of Sínodo Saint of Rusia Mihail Preobrazensky. It has muscovite style of XVII century, with five turquoise domes. The front of the church has Venetian mosaic; there is a representation of the Holy Trinity done in San Petersburgo, El Zar Nicolás II donated valuable objects too.

The construction founds were obtained tanks to the previously mentioned priest intervention, among the Russian natives and the delegates of Russian Imperial House.

Lezama  Park
Brasil and Defensa

Some historians has provided that this place was chosen by Pedro de Mendoza for founding Buenos Aires in 1536, was built on natural gullies.

Among the park attractions, we can make mention the Historical Museum, its sculpture yard, amphitheater, and several monuments, among which the monument to Don Pedro de Mendoza stands out, is formed by a square fountain with two springs, that symbolize Guadalquivir and La Plata rivers.

Its names due to José Gregorio Lezama merchant, who sold the property to commune on the condition that it will be a public park that were named Lezama Park.

Bar Británico
Brasil and Defensa

It is one of the most traditional bars of the zone and Buenos Aires, was created in 1928. Its owners are Spanish, the bar’s name remembers to English immigrants who settled in the epoch of train construction. It has been scenario of different films as “Tacos Altos” and “Donde estás amor de mi vida”, que no te puedo encontrar”