Jesuit Mission

Admire the striking churches along the Jesuit Mission Trail in Chiquitos. This fascinating tourist destination is in eastern Bolivia in the department of Santa Cruz. In the eighteenth century, a handful of Jesuit priests built magnificent colonial churches in a series of flourishing mission towns, before being expelled and seized by the Spanish Crown. Six out of the 10 churches still exist today they were rescued in the 1970s namely San Francisco Javier, Concepcion, Santa Ana, San Miguel, San Rafael and San Jose, make up a living heritage on the former territory of the Chiquitos. San Javier is the first Jesuit mission is the as well as the cradle of baroque music school, it is carved in wood while Concepcion is considered one of the most beautiful mission buildings and is characterised by its wide iety of orchids. San Jose de Chiquitos is the only one built entirely of stone. Santa Ana is one of the last Chiquitana missions and its church is small in comparison to the others.

The Mestizo Baroque architecture of these churches includes roofs made entirely of carved wood, huge painted murals, incredible colonial pulpits. The high level of artistry and the deep meaning in these works have led UNESCO to the Jesuit missions World Heritage Sites. The richness of the Baroque music, composed and performed at the missions, represents a unique collection in the Americas which has led to the Chiquitos Missions Biennial International Baroque Music Festival that is held every year in Santa Cruz and at the mission towns.