Our Lady of Mercy Cathedral

In the Argentinean city of Bahia Blanca, which name translates as White Bay, there is a shrine of incredible beauty - Catedral Nuestra Senora de la Merced. This building was consecrated in the name of Our Lady of Mercy, the patroness of the local diocese. 

This building has a complicated story. In 1836, workers erected the first temple of Our Lady of Mercy by order of General Juan Manuel Jos Domingo Ortiz de Rosas y Lopez de Osornio. A year later, the church was damaged by a storm, but the locals restored their favorite shrine. It was serving for a long time in praise of Our Lady of Mercy.

With time, the settlement grew larger, and the temple could no longer accommodate all the parishioners. Therefore, people needed a more spacious church. The second church was built in the 60s of the 19th century by Dr. Sixto Laspiur. But it also was not enough for the city. 

The new third version of the shrine was made by architect Luis Prepani. The construction process lasted for years. The doors of the new church opened to parishioners in 1900, but construction work was still ongoing. At first, the three-nave temple did not have a bell tower. In 1903, workers built towers, highlighting the significance of the central facade. Only in 1929, another architect, Antonio Gerardi, installed a clock on one of the towers, and a bell was installed in the second tower, and an expressive sculptural group of the Virgin and two angels above the pediment.