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Museum of the Church of St. Francis Located
on the corner of Caseros and Córdoba streets This
museum operates inside the Church of St. Francis, one of the most
symbolic buildings in the city of Salta. The first temple and convent
were built in 1625; the second was erected in 1674 and was later
destroyed by fire. Construction of the final church was completed
in 1759, and in the 19th century Luis Giorgi built its distinctive
53m-high belfry, which makes it is the highest in America. The belfry
houses the so-called "Bell of the Fatherland" made of bronze from
the cannons used in the battle of Salta. It was here that Manuel
Belgrano held the funeral service in honor of both the victors and
the vanquished. The structure of this temple received the influence
of two famous Spanish domes, namely, those of the cathedrals of
Zamora and Salamanca. The church harbors valuable works amongst
which the most noteworthy are the image of Our Lady of the Snow
(which is said to be the first image of the Virgin that arrived
in the city); an image of St. Peter of Alcántara, attributed to
the Spanish sculptor Alonso Cano, and a painting of the Saint of
Assisi attributed by some to Pitti and by others to Zurbarán. In
the courtyard that skirts the cloister there is a sun clock and
an anchor belonging to the squadron commanded by Don Francisco de
Gurruchaga, creator of the National Navy, whose remains are buried
in the church. On the second floor there is a library containing
40,000 volumes including incunabular dating back to 1488. Salta
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