Paraguay restores guaraní-baroque art in Caraguatay church

The Historical Heritage Unit of the Ministry of Public Works and Communications began restoring historical altarpieces and a pulpit inside the Virgen de las Mercedes church in Caraguatay, Paraguay.

The National Secretariat of Culture oversees the project to protect the Guaraní-Baroque tradition, a style that combines European Baroque influences with Indigenous Guaraní culture. Specialists are dismantling and sanitizing the wooden elements to address structural damage, particularly in two compromised columns.

The team treats each piece based on its specific condition by strengthening structures, filling missing sections, and restoring painted surfaces. These actions aim to recover the decorated elements while maintaining the original materials and historical authenticity of the artifacts. The church, which started as a chapel in 1803 and became a parish in 1893, serves as a site of shared memory for the local community.

By stabilizing the Franciscan-influenced altarpieces and sacred imagery, the project seeks to safeguard the religious and cultural heritage for future generations.