Veronica83 · Public domainIglesia de San Francisco de Asís de Atyrá
A 1928 church that keeps an 18th-century altar and the Franciscan memory of the country's cleanest city.
What it is
The church of San Francisco de Asís is in the centre of Atyrá, in the Cordillera de los Altos. The current building was finished in 1928, but it keeps an old 18th-century altar and colonial-era imagery, including representations of Our Lady of Sorrows and Saint Francis. Atyrá was one of the towns under Franciscan influence, and that heritage shows in its crafts: leatherwork, woodcarving, filigree, wool textiles and musical instrument making. Today it is also remembered as an "ecological capital" and the cleanest city in the country.
What to see and do
- The 18th-century altar
- Colonial imagery
- Leather and wood crafts in town
Did you know…?
The name Atyrá comes from Guaraní atyhá, "meeting place".
It is presented as the cleanest city in the country and the seventh cleanest in the Americas (per the source consulted).
History
The town was founded on 4 October 1538 by Domingo Martínez de Irala; the religious establishment dates from 1580, by Franciscan missionaries. Construction of the church began in 1782; in 1852 President Carlos Antonio López ordered its renovation, and the current church was completed in 1928.
Tips
- Visit the church and then walk the Paseo Peatonal Indio José and the craftspeople's houses.
- Respect mass times.
Check opening hours before you go. Hours depend on mass times.
Best time: Mornings; early October for the local festivities.
Activities
Festivals and events here
Atyrá Leather Expo
The country’s biggest showcase of leather goods, on the pedestrian street of Paraguay’s “cleanest town.”
FairAtyrá, Cordillera4OctSan Francisco de Asís · Atyrá
A procession of the patron saint with the saints from every rural community, a crafts fair, karu guasu (a big communal feast) and jineteada (bronc riding).
Patron saintAtyrá, CordilleraNearby
Atyrá · Cordillera
Atyrá
Billed as Paraguay's cleanest town: leatherworkers, Franciscan altarpieces and country inns in the Cordillera de los Altos.
Atyrá / Tobatí · Cordillera
Chorro Karumbey (Karumbe Ykua)
A waterfall on the Karumbey stream, on the natural boundary between Atyrá and Tobatí, among Cordillera de los Altos hills.
Tobatí (límite con Caacupé) · Cordillera
Cerro Kavajú
A hill with wind-eroded flanks and caves, declared a protected landscape in 2014 and suited to climbing.
Altos · Cordillera
Altos
The 'nation's terrace': a Franciscan town with German heritage, timbó wood carvings and the Kamba Ra'anga masked festival.
Tobatí · Cordillera
Tobatí
Paraguay's craft capital: potters, carvers of saints and sandstone hills with a natural stone arch.
Caacupé · Cordillera
Basílica de la Virgen de los Milagros de Caacupé
Paraguay's spiritual capital: a Marian basilica, the Virgin's spring and the country's largest pilgrimage.
Researched and reviewed in September 2026 with 3 sources. A second reviewer checked dates, coordinates and lodging. Hours and prices may change.