The primordial work was begun on 31 July 1748, with 18 wooden columns, that is to say, it stretches more than the rest of the constructions made by Schmid, all of them were salomonic styled, and painted with ordinary colours. They had 4 brick arches in the presbytery, and 14 windows, four of which were of glass, the remaining had wooden shutters.
The major altar was organized into four painted brick columns, and three blocks, which indicates that Fr. Schmid could not finish the new altar. The temple also had a two sided altarpieces, two organs in the choir, and a wooden pulpit with steps. It is said that the interior was painted with moulding clay. Also the major altar and the collaterals were bronzed and streamlined. The body of the church had seats for Indian judges, a brass fountain, and a wide deposit. In the sacristy was a niche with the Lord bound to the pillar, two statues of Christ, 8 large canvas paintings and 19 paper stamps, in addition to these the temple also had a tin basin and beautiful wooden boxes.
After two fires that broke in the town, in an inventory it is mentioned about the current altarpiece, a building in three parts and three streets with numerous bronzed columns and eight niches with well made sculptures. Not only these, the vicissitudes that supported this construction, threatened with collapse and danger to the faithful, so the church was demolished in 1948. Subsequently, in July 2000 the new temple was constructed following the guidelines of the former and with all the furniture and altarpieces which were rescued from the old building, and they are well preserved until today.
In 1967 Bishop Rossenhammer built a new church in European-style and not that of Chiquitania and colonial Jesuit tradition. Later in 1998 Bishop Carlos Stetter began the work of reconstruction of the Jesuit church which was built in 1748, based on the photographs of Don Plácido Molina, Mr. Hans Ertl and the Franciscan Fathers Pio Waldthaler and Agustin Harrer. In the year 2000 just in four years of work, the re-erection of the new church was completed. The new temple was consecrated on 31 July 2000, with the presence of the Papal Nuncio in Bolivia, the Archbishop Julio Terrazas, Bishop Antonio Eduardo Bösl (Vicariate Ñuflo of Chavez) and the President of the Republic, General Hugo Banzer, and delegates from all the parishes of the Diocese of San Ignacio de Velasco
The History of Mission in San Ignacio de Loyola
The so-called nation of Chiquitos, was consisted of about 36 tribes, which, with time and with the integrative action of the Jesuits, spoke the same language Besiro or Chiquitano.
The Reduction of San Ignacio de Zamucos was founded in 1724, and ceased to exist by 1745, that gave opportunity to build up a new reduction. Thus, when San Ignacio de Zamucos was destroyed, resulting in the abandonment of the missionaries, in 1748, Father Miguel Streicher reconciled the survivors of the Zamucos with Ugarones and founded a new reduction located forty kilometres north of San Miguel Arcangel. And he called it as San Ignacio de Loyola, today San Ignacio de Velasco, the capital of the Velasco Province. This was the starting point of a great church, the largest and most ostentatious of the entire region. The altar of the temple which was designed by Fr. Martin Schmi is reputed to be the most beautiful of all the altarpieces of Chiquitania.
As the agriculture was the main source of the economy of the mission, they built lakes and dams to meet their water needs. It also created a whole system of work and trade to cover the needs of the community. In this way they spent years of progress in the Mission of San Ignacio de Loyola, until 1767, when the event of Continental transcendence took place: on 27 February of the same year, King Charles III decreed the expulsion of all Jesuits from the Spanish dominions. Consequently, by 18 April, 1768 all the Jesuits left the territory.
Later, the region was handed over to Colonel Aymerich, a representative of the Crown of Spain for the sake of the future of Bolivia, and to preserve the mission and all the institutions left by the Jesuits. In 1805, because of the new government plan the capital went into the hands the King. Mr. Francisco Javier Velasco was appointed manager and secretary, his work would be extremely important as he rebuilt the entire mission which had been destroyed by a fire two years earlier.
Current Data about San Ignacio de Velasco
San Ignacio de Velasco of today was created by of the Republic Act on 12 October 1880. The town bares its name partly because of the mission legacy and in honour of General José Miguel de Velasco, who was the President of Bolivia for four times. It is the capital of the Velasco Province at the Department of Santa Cruz, situated in a warm region with annual average temperatures ranging between 28 and 32 degrees Celsius. It is located 456 kilometres from the city of Santa Cruz. The economy of the region is mainly depended upon the forest resources, livestock, coffee production and tourism. It has a population of about 35,000.
San Ignacio de Velasco is the gateway to the Noel Kempff Mercado National Park, located at the north of the province at the border of Brazil. Thanks to its rich biodiversity, UNESCO has announced it as Natural Patrimony of Humanity
