The Retiro Neighborhood is one of most exclusive neighborhoods of Buenos Aires but, originally, the area was a country retreat (retiro) for Spanish governor Augustín de Robles . Â Â San Martín Plaza, which I described previously, is in the Retiro Neighborhood . Near the Plaza stands Palacio San Martín, built for Mercedes Castellanos de Anchorena and completed in 1909 . Â Â Palacio San Martín is currently used for ceremonial purposes by the Ministry of Foreign Relations . Basílica Santísimo Sacramento, also nearby, was built by the Anchorena family in 1916 . The last apartment occupied by Argentine writer and poet Jorge Luis Borges is here in Retiro, with a plaque commemorating him prominently displayed on the wall of the building . After exploring the Retiro Neighborhood, I stopped in a beautiful old church, the name of which I didn’t record . Nonetheless, the interior of this charming neighborhood church is a vivid memory for me.
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Palacio San Martín
SOURCE: Palacio San Martín (Buenos Aires, Argentina), photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 02 Jan 2011.
 
Basílica Santísimo Sacramento
SOURCE: Â Basílica Santísimo Sacramento (Buenos Aires, Argentina), photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 02 Jan 2011.
 
Plaque Honoring Jorge Luis Borges
SOURCE: Â Plaque Honoring Jorge Luis Borges (Buenos Aires, Argentina), photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 02 Jan 2011.
Neighborhood Church in Buenos Aires
SOURCE: Â Neighborhood Church in Buenos Aires (Buenos Aires, Argentina), photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 02 Jan 2011.
Copyright © 2011 by Stephen J. Danko
