The geographical situation of Corboda, founded in 1573 by Don Jeronimo Luis de Cabrera (*), explains establishment of religious buildings of this width. Indeed, built on well irrigated and fertile grounds, halfway on the road which binds Upper Peru to the Atlantic Ocean, the new city is not long in attracting the adventurers of any kind: farmers and tradesmen. 
Becoming owners of immense fields, certain colonists build quite as much immense residences too. If some clash with the Society of Jesus (the Jesuit Order), who wants to emancipate the Indians working on their lands (**), others motivated by pious reasons, hand down their property to it.
These donations will allow the Order to live without depending on the charity of the “encomenderos” by allotting to each one of Estancias received a quite precise role: that of Alta Gracia, Jesus Maria, San Antonio and La Candelaria will be thus universities. That of Santa Catalina will accomodate the beginners and will be the seat of provincial administration of the Order. As for “reducciones” of North, in particular the San Ignacio one(**), they will be regarded a long time as places of retreat.
The Estancia of Alta Gracia was baptized like this, in the honor of Holy Patrone of the native village of its giver, Don Alonso Nieto de Herrera, who bequeathed it to the Order in 1643. Started at the beginning of the XVIIIth century, the church was finished in 1762, a few years only before the expulsion of the Jesuits of the country (**). Losing its religious character it will be the property of several historical figures, like the Viceroy of Rio de La Plata, Marquis Rafaël de Sobre Montes, and especially the hero of resistance to the English invader (1806), Santiago de Liniers (***).
(*) article “Argentina during the XVIth century” (December 200()
(**) article “the Jesuit missions” (May 2006)
(***) article “the Pueyrredon house” (June 2006)
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