Historical Franciscan Museum

Lavalle 33 Cultural Secretariat
Tel. No. 088-221343
Open Mondays through Sundays
from 9a. m. to 1p.m. and from 4 to 9p.m.

This museum is housed in the Franciscan church and convent. The Franciscans arrived in Jujuy in 1599, and from then on have always been present throughout this people's history. In 1814, during the wars of independence, there was an exodus of the population of Jujuy, and the Franciscans accompanied the people into exile, Upon their return, they found that the original convent had been destroyed by the royalists, as well as their library that dated back to the beginning of the 17th century. The ancient convent and church were rebuilt, and the new tower was finished in 1901.
The museum opened its doors in 1982 and harbors several pieces that have been used as ritual objects throughout these four hundred years. Its two halls contain exhibits of furniture, silver pieces, carvings, musical instruments and paintings from the so-called school of Cuzco, or American school. There is a torso of St. Benito of Palermo in carved polychrome wood with silver shells for eyes made in Potosi in the 18th century.

San Salvador de Jujuy
This city is the capital of the province of Jujuy. It lies 1,660 km. away from the city of Buenos Aires and 1,260m above sea level. It has 185,000 inhabitants and is surrounded by an awesome chain of multicolored mountains. Worthy of visiting is its Cathedral which was built in 1750 and has a pulpit carved in ñandubay wood by the Indians, the chapel of Saint Barbara dating from 1777, and the Cabildo.