The Catedral del Sagrado Corazón is the religious counterweight to the merchant palaces on the Plaza. Begun in 1892 and finished in 1901, it was built by the Salesians — the Italian order that effectively organised the church in southern Patagonia in the late nineteenth century and that also founded most of the schools, missions and museums in the region.
The exterior is a fairly modest Renaissance-revival design, with a single bell tower rising next to the nave. Inside, the church is bright and airy, with stained glass donated by the Croatian community and a side chapel dedicated to Mary Help of Christians, the patroness of Salesian missions. It is still very much a working parish — Mass is held several times a day in summer.