Jesuit Block and Estancias of Córdoba

The Jesuit Block and Estancias of Córdoba (Spanish: Manzana Jesuítica y Estancias de Córdoba) are a former Jesuit reduction built by missionaries in the province of Córdoba, Argentina, named a World Heritage Site in 2000.The Manzana Jesuítica contains the University of Córdoba, one of the oldest in South America, the Monserrat Secondary School, a church, and residence buildings. To maintain such a project, the Jesuits operated six Estancias (residences) around the province of Córdoba, named Caroya, Jesús María, Santa Catalina, Alta Gracia, Candelaria, and San Ignacio. The farm and the complex, started in 1615, had to be left by the Jesuits, following the 1767 decree by King Charles III of Spain that expelled them from the continent. They were then run by the Franciscans until 1853, when the Jesuits returned to The Americas. Nevertheless, the university and the high-school were nationalized a year later. Each Estancia has its own church and set of buildings, around which towns grew, such as Alta Gracia, the closest to the Block. The Jesuit Block and the Estancias can be visited by tourists; the Road of the Jesuit Estancias is approximately 250 kilometres (160 mi) in length. Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who would later become Pope Francis, lived there.