San Telmo Neighborhood, City of Buenos Aires, Argentina

San Telmo is one of the oldest neighborhoods of Buenos Aires; it presents an interesting combination between bohemian and tango. Initially, it was named “Altos de San Pedro” and it was inhabited by the port workers. It is considered a place of folksingers (payadores) and innumerable old houses and tango.
San Telmo is one of the best preserved areas in Buenos Aires: it keeps colonial big houses.
On Saturdays and Sundays, Defensa Street turns into a pedestrian walk where you will enjoy different street artists, puppeteers, magicians and alive statues.

Limits

San Telmo neighborhood is situated among Chile, Piedras Street, Caseros, Defensa, Martín García, Paseo Colon, Brasil and Ing. Huergo Avenues.

Places to visit

Among the numerous attractions, it is possible to mention the following ones:

"Canto al Trabajo" Monument

It is located in Paseo Colón Nº 800
It is a work of Rogelio de Yrurtia, an Argentinean sculptor of human bronze sculptures. One of the most famous works of Argentina is located in "Coronel Manuel de Olazábal", a small square.

San Lorenzo Passage

It is located between Estados Unidos and Balcarce

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

La Casa Mínima

It is located in San Lorenzo Nº 380

It was originally built as a house for slaves. It was named Mínima thanks to its proportions: it is the narrowest house of Buenos Aires whose façade is only 2,2 meters wide. It is a construction from the XIX century. It is located in the passage of San Lorenzo. One of its peculiarities is a writing story about slaves placed on the wall.

Iglesia Dinamarquesa (Dane Church)

It is located in Carlos Calvo Nº 257

This is a neo-gothic style construction, a work of Ronnow and Bisgaars. It was inaugurated in 1931. The tower and the roofs have neo-gothic characteristics, the stairs are an allegory to those which appear in Jacob dream.
In the internal part, there is a scale model of "Copenhague", a training ship of the Dane Army.

Juan Carlos Castagnino´s House

It is located in Balcarce Nº 1016
This house dates back to the XVIII century, it belonged to Juan Carlos Castagnino, a famous painter whose most celebrate work is the illustration about the perpetrate Martín Fierro of José Hernández.

Galería del Viejo Hotel (Gallery)

It is located in Balcarce Nº 1053

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

Antigua Tasca de Cuchilleros

It is located in Carlos Calvo Nº 319

This construction was built in the XIX century, except the front room, which dates back to the ends of the XVIII century.
It keeps a tragic love story. It is about Ciriaco Cuitiño who fired to Margarita, the Ollides sergeant’s daughter, when she was running off with a folk singer “payador”. Now, the construction is occupied by the "Antigua Tasca de Cuchilleros".

Esteban de Luca´s House

It is located in Carlos Calvo near to Defensa

The house dates back to the XVIII century. It is considered a Historic National Monument. It is located on Carlos Calvo Street near to the Defensa corner.
Today, there is a crowded café-restaurant in the location. This historic house was inhabited by Esteban de Luca, a poet and a journalist, the author of the first patriot song. The house was remodeled but preserving architectonic elements of that epoch.

San Telmo Market

It is located among Bolívar, Carlos Calvo, Defensa, Estados Unidos

This is a hundred-years-old market that was inaugurated in 1897. It was built by the architect Juan Antonio Buschiazzo. Its façade presents some characteristics of the Italian style and inside it, there is an iron structure with sheets roof and glass. It actually preserves the original architecture.

Borrego Square

It is located among Humberto Iº, Defensa, Anselmo Aieta and Bethlem

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

San Pedro Telmo Fair (Antiquities Fair)

It is located in Plaza Dorrego

Every Sunday, from 10:00 to 17:00hrs, there is a fair in Borrego square, it is a big antiques fair with more than two hundred and seventy stands that sell: antiquities, old objects, a lot of adornments and other singular objects.
This traditional fair is organized by the City Museum. It is plenty of mimes, tango dancers, folksingers and craftsmen.

Nuestra Sra. de Belén Church - San Pedro Gonzalez Telmo Parish

It is located in Humberto 1º Nº 340
This old church was built in 1734, it was a work of Andrés Blanqui, a Jesuit architect. It was declared historic Monument in 1943.
The façade has an eclectic style mixed with neo-colonial and post colonial elements, as well as baroque, neoclassic and Italian styles. On the top, the picture of San Pedro Gonzáles Telmo is placed. The floor is octagonal.

La Defensa Passage

It is located in Defensa Nº 1179

A traditional house from the end of the XIX century. It was the residence of the Ezeiza family. It possesses two stores and several rooms overlooking a gallery. Nowadays, there are a commercial center, an antiques sale and different locals of clothing, pictures, souvenirs, etc.

Modern Art Museum of the City Government

It is located on San Juan Avenue Nº 350

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

Historic and National Museum

It is located in Defensa Nº 1600

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

Rusian Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity

It is located in Brasil Nº 315

It is a beautiful building that was inaugurated in 1904, as an initiative of Constantino Izrastzoff, a Russian priest. This was a work of the architects of the Sínodo Saint of Rusia Mihail Preobrazensky. It presents a muscovite style from the XVII century. It contains five turquoise domes. The front of the church has a Venetian mosaic. There is also a representation of the Holy Trinity created in Saint Pittsburg. The Czar, Nicolás II, donated valuable objects to this church.
The construction obtained economical support tanks to the previously mentioned priest intervention, as well as the Russian natives and the delegates of the Russian Imperial House’s help.

Lezama  Park

It is located between Brasil and Defensa

Some historians have concluded that this place was chosen by Pedro de Mendoza in order to found Buenos Aires in 1536. It was established over natural gullies.
Among the park attractions, it is possible mention the Historical Museum, its sculpture yard, the amphitheater and several important monuments like the monument of Don Pedro de Mendoza. Other significant attraction is a square fountain with two springs that symbolizes the Guadalquivir and La Plata Rivers.
Its name was established in honor to José Gregorio Lezama who sold this amazing property to the commune to be a public park, the Lezama Park.

Bar Británico

It is located between Brasil and Defensa

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