Villa Cura Brochero

Villa Cura Brochero, head town of the San Alberto Department in the Traslasierra valley of western Córdoba Province, lies about 160 km from the city of Córdoba, behind the Sierras Grandes, on both banks of the Panaholma river between the ranges of Achala and Pocho. It was founded in 1864 by the priest Francisco Aguirre as Villa del Tránsito, and in 1916 it was renamed for José Gabriel del Rosario Brochero, the 'Cura Gaucho', on the second anniversary of his death. Brochero, born in 1840, served the vast parish of San Alberto, travelling long distances on a mule in a sombrero and poncho; he opened more than 500 km of roads, built schools and churches and promoted aqueducts and irrigation channels, and he died poor in 1914. He was beatified in 2013. He was canonised in 2016, and the town keeps his remains in its church, begun in 1898. The Casa de Ejercicios, the retreat house, holds the Brochero museum, with sacred objects, musical instruments, pottery, tools, mortars, looms and religious images, and the chapel, college and retreat house together have been a National Historic Monument since 1974.

Background

Villa Cura Brochero is a city of Córdoba Province in Argentina, and it serves as the capital of the San Alberto Department.

Source: Wikipedia, "Villa Cura Brochero"

Highlights

• The parish church - where the saint's remains are kept and venerated.
• The Casa de Ejercicios - the retreat house, now home to the Brochero museum.
• The Brochero museum - sacred objects, instruments, pottery, tools and looms from his world.
• The Panaholma - the river that runs through the town, with beaches along it.

When to go

Year-round; the Semana Brocheriana, around the anniversary of his death on 26 January, brings thousands from the 23rd to the 26th, and the Cabalgata Brocheriana rides his old bridle paths. Half a day.

Before you go

Religious tourism brings crowds to the town, above all in summer, and the river beaches of the Panaholma and the Río de los Sauces are the other draw.

Nearby

Mina Clavero lies just across the Panaholma; where that river meets the Mina Clavero to form the Río de los Sauces are the rock channels of Los Cajones and the Balneario Los Elefantes, named for its worn rocks, and the Camino de las Altas Cumbres leads over the sierras to Córdoba.

Key facts