Luján, Buenos Aires
Luján is a city in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, about 68 kilometers (42 miles) northwest of Buenos Aires. Founded in 1755, it had about 106,899 people in 2010. The city is famous for the neo-Gothic Basilica of the Virgin of Luján, Argentina’s patron saint. Millions visit each year for pilgrimages, and many walk there from Buenos Aires. Luján is known as the Capital of the Faith.
The basilica, designed by French architect Ulderico Courtois, was built from 1889 to 1937. Its towers rise 106 meters, it has a copper roof and bronze doors, and it houses a very small Virgin statue. The famous Cavaille-Coll organ is there, though it needs restoration.
Luján also houses the Enrique Udaondo museum complex, with exhibits on colonial life, old buildings, art, uniforms, silverware, and historic vehicles like Plus Ultra (the first hydroplane to fly from Europe to Argentina) and La Porteña (Argentina’s first steam locomotive). The museum also shows the prison cells used by Beresford and Saavedra.
Since 1987, Benedictine monks live at Abadía de San Benito on the city’s edge, running retreats, farming, and publishing. Nearby is Mercedes, the seat of the Bishop of Mercedes y Luján. Luján is the main town of its municipality (Partido) and has a railway and bus station, making it easy to reach from Buenos Aires.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 23:14 (CET).