Nonogasta: Chapel, Art and a Walking Tour

The Capilla San Vicente Ferrer is set in a rural landscape surrounded by vineyards. A special stop for visitors interested in culture is the Capilla de San Vicente Ferrer: it is part of the Circuito de las Capillas and houses an oil painting from the Cuzco School. The Tour de Nonogasta also offers a walking tour of the town’s main tourist attractions. This lets you choose between focusing on the chapel and exploring more of Nonogasta.

The Capilla de San Vicente Ferrer and its art

The Capilla San Vicente Ferrer was built by Nicolás Dávila at the beginning of the 19th century. Its architecture can be understood through specific features: the chapel has a single nave, with the choir at the back. The building is defined by thick adobe walls with niches. Visitors interested in the construction and spatial layout of religious buildings will find several clearly identifiable details to focus on.

The furnishings offer another way to experience the chapel. The Cristo de la Paciencia stands on the altar. The chapel also houses the oil painting “El Bautismo de Cristo,” a work from the Cuzco School. The title refers to the subject depicted, while the school’s name provides an art-historical classification. Together with the niches, the nave and the choir at the back, these features make the chapel worth visiting for more than just a single work of art.

The Capilla de San Vicente Ferrer is also connected with a local tradition: on its feast day, the third Sunday in October, Saint Vincent Ferrer is carried through the streets in a large procession. Alongside the chapel’s architectural and artistic history, this date and procession connect it to Nonogasta’s religious customs. If you are planning your trip around cultural interests, you can consider this tradition as a distinct aspect of the town.

Explore Nonogasta on foot

The Tour de Nonogasta is a walking tour of the town’s main tourist attractions. It offers a different perspective from focusing on the Capilla de San Vicente Ferrer: rather than centering on just one sight, the tour takes in several attractions in Nonogasta. No information is given about the route’s length or duration; for planning your day, the key point is that it is a walking tour.

The chapel is set in a rural landscape surrounded by vineyards. This sense of place adds an impression of Nonogasta’s rural character to the cultural experience without limiting your visit to a single theme. If you are travelling with varied interests, you can treat the chapel, its art and the walking tour as different highlights and decide which ones to focus on during your trip.

Nonogasta or Chilecito as a place to stay?

When choosing a holiday apartment, the location of the places you are most interested in is a useful starting point. The Capilla de San Vicente Ferrer is in Nonogasta, 15 km from Chilecito. Routes 74 and 40 meet in Chilecito. So if the chapel and Nonogasta are the main focus of your trip, you can weigh up whether to look for accommodation in Nonogasta or consider Chilecito as a possible base.

Other destinations in this overview are Chilecito and Santa Florentina.

For the broader travel overview: Departamento Chilecito.