Villarrica, Paraguay - Unique Stone Church Iglesia Ybaroty The Highlight

Paraguay travel blog by Mark Berman - April 2016 » View Photoset (24 Photos)

Villarrica is one of the many small towns in the interior of beautiful Paraguay. It was originally founded because gold was believed to

Gold sculpture of famous musician of Paraguay - Ortiz Guerrero, at the museum in Villarrica.

exist in the area but when none was found the city was moved. In fact Villarrica was moved 7 times between its foundation in 1570 and where it is now (1682). I came to Villarrica from Caacupe connecting (changing buses) in Coronel Oviedo 40mins north of Villarrica, it takes 1hr to get from Caacupe to Coronel Oviedo. Paraguay is a country where once you get out of the big cities like Asuncion, Ciudad del Este, Encarnacion etc. you are left with a bunch of small towns and places which mostly have just a few things to see. Add a few of these small towns and places together and you see a lot, that's my theory!

Arriving by Bus (or Horse 'n' Cart)

The bus terminal in Villarrica is right in the center of town, just a couple of blocks or so from the main plaza. Outside the bus terminal you will find horse and cart taxis ready to roll, but I wasn't going to fall for the old horse and cart taxi trick - I walked instead, I like walking! I found a hotel closeby and headed out to have a look around the

Painting at the museum of Manuel Ortiz Guerrero in his dedicated room in Villarrica.

town.

City Tour

Plaza Libertad is the main square and has the Freedom Statue (a woman holding a torch) in the center (Estatua de la Libertad). On one side of the plaza is the cathedral and there are a few historic buildings on the other side including government buildings and the social club (Club El Porvenir Guaireño). Nearby is another important plaza in Villarrica - Plaza de los Heroes. This is where the main government palace is - Municipalidad de Villarrica, it's very prestigious indeed.

The Stone Church Iglesia Ybaroty is the Highlight

However, probably the most important and special attraction in Villarrica is the spectacular large stone church - Iglesia Ybaroty (1944), inspired by the architecture of medieval Europe, combining both Romanesque and Gothic styles. The church took around 5yrs to build and really is a true work of art, things like this are

Cathedral building with arches along the side in Villarrica.

not made twice, know what I mean? It reminded me very much of the stone church in San Rafael - Venezuela, but on a much larger scale!

Other Sights include Manuel Ortiz Guerrero Park

Now the rain came down so unfortunately I didn't get to see Manuel Ortiz Guerrero Park (Ycua Pyta) - there is a lagoon there and Capybara (the worlds largest rodent) roam around freely, it's a popular place with the locals. Villarrica also has a museum housing all kinds of items from the Chaco War as well as many antique collections and historic artifacts.

Bus to Ciudad del Este

I enjoyed my short stay in Villarrica and look forward to exploring this part of the country again in the future. From Villarrica I headed north 40mins back to Coronel Oviedo and again loved seeing the countryside like I had on the way down. From Oviedo (as the locals call it) I headed east to Ciudad del Este by bus (3hrs).