Gregorio Funes
Encyclopedia
Gregorio Funes also known as Deán Funes, was an Argentine clergyman, educator, historian, and lawmaker who played a significant role in his nation's early, post-independence history.
, and the Bustos family was part of a group of Spanish colonists that left Chile and moved to Mendoza and Córdoba.
Born in Córdoba
, in what was then the Governorate of the Río de la Plata (a part of the Spanish Empire
), Gregorio Funes was raised in privileged circumstances, and enrolled at the College of Monserrat
. He studied in cloistered conditions, and shared his formative years with Juan José Castelli
or Juan José Paso
. He was ordained into the priesthood in 1773, and was named Head Seminarian. He graduated the following year, on August 10. A later dispute with the Rector of the University of Córdoba
led to Funes' transfer to a minor, Punilla Valley
parish.
Funes ultimately transferred, without permission from the Diocese
, to the University of Alcalá de Henares (Spain), in 1779. He returned to South America in 1793, where he was named Canon
of the Cathedral of Salta
, and in 1804, he was promoted to Dean
of the Cathedral. Funes was appointed Rector
of the University of Córdoba in 1807, and quickly implemented a package of reforms and modernization. Established the Departments of Mathematics
, Experimental Physics
, French Language
studies, Music Theory
, and Trigonometry
, as well as donating a part of his family estate for curricular expansion. His administration replaced much of the university's Franciscan
faculty for clergy from the local Diocese.
Despite his disapproval of the work of René Descartes
, John Locke
and Gottfried Leibniz
, for instance, Funes' reforms were sufficiently ambitious to run afoul of the Viceroy of the Río de la Plata, Rafael de Sobremonte
. The invasion of Spain
by the Emperor Napoleon in 1808, and the capture of King Ferdinand VII led Funes to join Manuel Belgrano
and Juan José Castelli
as an adherent to Carlotism
,a movement in support of crowning Princess Carlota Joaquina of Spain as Queen, which sought to both advance a legitimate monarch, as well as to further the possibility of Independence.
of 1810, and contributed significantly to its success by informing the Argentine government, the Primera Junta
, of an alliance between Governor Juan Gutiérrez de la Concha and former Viceroy Santiago de Liniers
, who was organizing a counter-revolution
. This report prompted a campaign against the latter by the Army of the North
, which captured Liniers and the governor, and which established patriot control over Córdoba. Funes himself urged the army not to execute the captured leaders, though these were ultimately executed en route to Buenos Aires
.
He was elected as a representative to the Junta Grande
upon its replacement of the Primer Junta regime on December 18, 1810. The inclusion of representatives from the hinterland to the government was not unanimously supported, however, and Funes attempted to placate tensions by proposing a system of provincial juntas. The decree, enacted on February 11, 1811, also provided for the establishment of local juntas, and became the first form of federal government
in Argentina, as well as the guarantor of continued political unity during the Argentine War of Independence
.
Funes supported Junta President Cornelio Saavedra
, who shared by federalist
outlook, and was appointed to the Junta following a failed, April 5 uprising by forces partial to Buenos Aires, and opposed to a Junta they viewed as unacceptably dominated by provincial figures. Funes directed the Gazeta de Buenos Ayres
, the official Junta newsletter, and El Argos de Buenos Aires, the leading business publication, during his tenure, and encated laws bolstering freedom of the press
despite the ongoing conflict with opponents. He also pressed for direct Junta control the granting of charter
s, deeming this the most important of the body's jurisdictions.
Saavedra's absence led to a crisis on September 8, when the former was unseated. Funes was appointed to replace Saavedra as head of the Junta, which was stripped of executive authority and placed under the aegis of a Triumvirate
. He attempted to compromise by enacting a Decree of Organic Regulation to more clearly define separation of powers
and other considerations. This decree, the first legal code in the fledgling nation's history, was nullified by the Triumvirate's First Secretary, Bernardino Rivadavia
, however, who refused to offer or accept concessions to the now powerless Junta.
The Triumvirate's own frictions with the Regiment of Patricians, which they believed too autonomous for a military force of such scale, provided Funes with an opportunity to unseat the new regime when, on December 6, the Patricians rebelled against the regime in what became known as the Mutiny of the Braids. A counterinsurgency attack by Colonel José Rondeau
quelled the revolt by December 11, however, and Funes was formally charged with sedition
. The Junta was formally replaced by the Triumvirate on December 22, and Funes' sentence was commuted the following January.
. The congress provoked a revolt late in the year by League of the Free Peoples
supporter José Gervasio Artigas
, and Funes accepted an appointment by Supreme Director Juan Martín de Pueyrredón
as Governor of Córdoba. He later also accepted a post in replacement of one of two Córdoba representatives who resigned upon the relocation of the Congress of Tucumán to Buenos Aires in 1817.
Funes afterwards directed the congressional journal, El Redactor. He remained a monarchist, however, and advanced the notion of a constitutional monarchy
during a constitutional assembly held in 1819. Unable to prevail in this proposal, Funes nonetheless supported the new constitution, with which he shared a reliance on centralized government
. He wrote its preamble, as well as the proclamation presented in its support to provincial leaders.
The 1819 Constitution, mainly due to its Unitarian bias, was rejected by most provinces in the hinterland, and those in the east formed a Liga Federal
in revolt. Unitarian forces were defeated at the Battle of Cepeda
of 1820, and Funes served as the national government's envoy to negotiate the February 23 Treaty of Pilar
, upon which the constitution was rescinded.
Funes remained in Buenos Aires, and was appointed Trade Representative to Gran Colombia
by Governor Martín Rodríguez. He became acquainted with President Simón Bolívar
during his stay in Bogotá
, and attempted in vain to persuade Governor Rodríguez to take part in the Congress of Panama
, which President Bolívar had initially convened for December 1824, and which was, itself, postponed until 1826. Funes returned to assist in Governor Rodríguez's bid for national unity, the General Congress of 1824; the congress ultimately resulted in the Constitution of 1826, and the first (albeit temporary) centralized government in Argentina.
Funes retired in Buenos Aires. One of his friends, Santiago Spencer Wilde, invited the cleric for a tour of his recently-inaugurated Parque Argentino, the first public garden
in Buenos Aires; as they walked in the hot southern hemisphere summer, Dean Gregorio Funes collapsed, and died at age 79. Funes was interred at the La Recoleta Cemetery
, though his remains were later transferred to the Córdoba Cathedral
. A town in the vicinity of his parish during the 18th century was named in honor (Deán Funes) upon its establishment in 1875.
Early life and the priesthood
Funes' parents were Juan José Funes y Ludueña, and María Josefa Bustos de Lara. The Funes family had arrived to Córdoba with the first group of settler led by Jerónimo Luis de CabreraJerónimo Luis de Cabrera
Jerónimo Luis de Cabrera was a Spanish Conquistador, early colonial governor over much of what today is northwestern Argentina, and founder of the city of Córdoba.-Life and times:Cabrera was born in Seville, Spain, in 1528...
, and the Bustos family was part of a group of Spanish colonists that left Chile and moved to Mendoza and Córdoba.
Born in Córdoba
Córdoba, Argentina
Córdoba is a city located near the geographical center of Argentina, in the foothills of the Sierras Chicas on the Suquía River, about northwest of Buenos Aires. It is the capital of Córdoba Province. Córdoba is the second-largest city in Argentina after the federal capital Buenos Aires, with...
, in what was then the Governorate of the Río de la Plata (a part of the Spanish Empire
Spanish Empire
The Spanish Empire comprised territories and colonies administered directly by Spain in Europe, in America, Africa, Asia and Oceania. It originated during the Age of Exploration and was therefore one of the first global empires. At the time of Habsburgs, Spain reached the peak of its world power....
), Gregorio Funes was raised in privileged circumstances, and enrolled at the College of Monserrat
Colegio Nacional de Monserrat
Colegio Nacional de Monserrat is a public college preparatory high school in Córdoba, Argentina. Patterened after the European gymnasium, the school is the second oldest of its type and one of the most prestigious in Argentina.-Overview:...
. He studied in cloistered conditions, and shared his formative years with Juan José Castelli
Juan José Castelli
Juan José Castelli was an Argentine lawyer. He was one of the leaders of the May Revolution, which started the Argentine War of Independence...
or Juan José Paso
Juan José Paso
Juan José Paso, was an Argentine politician who participated in the events that started the Argentine War of Independence known as May Revolution of 1810....
. He was ordained into the priesthood in 1773, and was named Head Seminarian. He graduated the following year, on August 10. A later dispute with the Rector of the University of Córdoba
National University of Córdoba
The National University of Córdoba, , is the oldest university in Argentina, and one of the oldest in the Americas. It is located in Córdoba, the capital of Córdoba Province. Since the early 20th century it has been the second largest university in the country in terms of the number of students,...
led to Funes' transfer to a minor, Punilla Valley
Punilla Valley
The Punilla Valley is a broad fluvial valley in the province of Córdoba, Argentina. It is located in the center-northwest of the province, bordered by the Sierras Chicas in the east and the Sierras Grandes and the Achala Pamp in the west, oriented from north to south...
parish.
Funes ultimately transferred, without permission from the Diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
, to the University of Alcalá de Henares (Spain), in 1779. He returned to South America in 1793, where he was named Canon
Canon (priest)
A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
of the Cathedral of Salta
Salta
Salta is a city in northwestern Argentina and the capital city of the Salta Province. Along with its metropolitan area, it has a population of 464,678 inhabitants as of the , making it Argentina's eighth largest city.-Overview:...
, and in 1804, he was promoted to Dean
Dean (religion)
A dean, in a church context, is a cleric holding certain positions of authority within a religious hierarchy. The title is used mainly in the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church.-Anglican Communion:...
of the Cathedral. Funes was appointed Rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of the University of Córdoba in 1807, and quickly implemented a package of reforms and modernization. Established the Departments of Mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, Experimental Physics
Experimental physics
Within the field of physics, experimental physics is the category of disciplines and sub-disciplines concerned with the observation of physical phenomena in order to gather data about the universe...
, French Language
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
studies, Music Theory
Music theory
Music theory is the study of how music works. It examines the language and notation of music. It seeks to identify patterns and structures in composers' techniques across or within genres, styles, or historical periods...
, and Trigonometry
Trigonometry
Trigonometry is a branch of mathematics that studies triangles and the relationships between their sides and the angles between these sides. Trigonometry defines the trigonometric functions, which describe those relationships and have applicability to cyclical phenomena, such as waves...
, as well as donating a part of his family estate for curricular expansion. His administration replaced much of the university's Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
faculty for clergy from the local Diocese.
Despite his disapproval of the work of René Descartes
René Descartes
René Descartes ; was a French philosopher and writer who spent most of his adult life in the Dutch Republic. He has been dubbed the 'Father of Modern Philosophy', and much subsequent Western philosophy is a response to his writings, which are studied closely to this day...
, John Locke
John Locke
John Locke FRS , widely known as the Father of Liberalism, was an English philosopher and physician regarded as one of the most influential of Enlightenment thinkers. Considered one of the first of the British empiricists, following the tradition of Francis Bacon, he is equally important to social...
and Gottfried Leibniz
Gottfried Leibniz
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz was a German philosopher and mathematician. He wrote in different languages, primarily in Latin , French and German ....
, for instance, Funes' reforms were sufficiently ambitious to run afoul of the Viceroy of the Río de la Plata, Rafael de Sobremonte
Rafael de Sobremonte
Don Rafael de Sobremonte y Núñez del Castillo, 3rd Marquis of Sobremonte , third Marquis of Sobremonte, was an aristocrat, military man and Spanish colonial administrator, and Viceroy of the Río de la Plata...
. The invasion of Spain
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
by the Emperor Napoleon in 1808, and the capture of King Ferdinand VII led Funes to join Manuel Belgrano
Manuel Belgrano
Manuel José Joaquín del Corazón de Jesús Belgrano , usually referred to as Manuel Belgrano, was an Argentine economist, lawyer, politician, and military leader. He took part in the Argentine Wars of Independence and created the Flag of Argentina...
and Juan José Castelli
Juan José Castelli
Juan José Castelli was an Argentine lawyer. He was one of the leaders of the May Revolution, which started the Argentine War of Independence...
as an adherent to Carlotism
Carlotism
Carlotism was a political movement that took place in the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata between 1808 and 1812; it intended to make Carlota Joaquina of Spain its queen. After Napoleon's invasion of Spain, Fernando VII was forced to abdicate and give the throne to Joseph Bonaparte...
,a movement in support of crowning Princess Carlota Joaquina of Spain as Queen, which sought to both advance a legitimate monarch, as well as to further the possibility of Independence.
The May Revolution
Funes was the first Córdoba official to support the May RevolutionMay Revolution
The May Revolution was a week-long series of events that took place from May 18 to 25, 1810, in Buenos Aires, capital of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, a Spanish colony that included roughly the territories of present-day Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay...
of 1810, and contributed significantly to its success by informing the Argentine government, the Primera Junta
Primera Junta
The Primera Junta or First Assembly is the most common name given to the first independent government of Argentina. It was created on 25 May 1810, as a result of the events of the May Revolution. The Junta initially had representatives from only Buenos Aires...
, of an alliance between Governor Juan Gutiérrez de la Concha and former Viceroy Santiago de Liniers
Santiago de Liniers
Jacques de Liniers was a French officer in the Spanish military service, and a viceroy of the Spanish colonies of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. He is more widely known by the Spanish form of his name, Santiago de Liniers...
, who was organizing a counter-revolution
Liniers Counter-revolution
When the May Revolution took place in Buenos Aires in 1810, the former viceroy Santiago de Liniers led an ill-fated counter-revolutionary attempt from the city of Córdoba. It was quickly thwarted by the patriotic forces from Buenos Aires led by Ortiz de Ocampo, who captured the leaders and...
. This report prompted a campaign against the latter by the Army of the North
Army of the North
The Army of the North , contemporaneously called Army of Peru, was one of the armies deployed by the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata in the Spanish American wars of independence. Its objective was freeing the Argentine Northwest and the Upper Peru from the royalist troops of the Spanish...
, which captured Liniers and the governor, and which established patriot control over Córdoba. Funes himself urged the army not to execute the captured leaders, though these were ultimately executed en route to Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
.
He was elected as a representative to the Junta Grande
Junta Grande
Junta Grande is the most common name for the executive government of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata , that followed the incorporation of provincial representatives into the Primera Junta .- Origin :...
upon its replacement of the Primer Junta regime on December 18, 1810. The inclusion of representatives from the hinterland to the government was not unanimously supported, however, and Funes attempted to placate tensions by proposing a system of provincial juntas. The decree, enacted on February 11, 1811, also provided for the establishment of local juntas, and became the first form of federal government
Government of Argentina
The government of Argentina, functioning within the framework of a federal system, is a presidential representative democratic republic. The President of Argentina is both head of state and head of government. Executive power is exercised by the President. Legislative power is vested in both the...
in Argentina, as well as the guarantor of continued political unity during the Argentine War of Independence
Argentine War of Independence
The Argentine War of Independence was fought from 1810 to 1818 by Argentine patriotic forces under Manuel Belgrano, Juan José Castelli and José de San Martín against royalist forces loyal to the Spanish crown...
.
Funes supported Junta President Cornelio Saavedra
Cornelio Saavedra
Cornelio Judas Tadeo de Saavedra y Rodríguez was a military officer and statesman from the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata...
, who shared by federalist
Federalism
Federalism is a political concept in which a group of members are bound together by covenant with a governing representative head. The term "federalism" is also used to describe a system of the government in which sovereignty is constitutionally divided between a central governing authority and...
outlook, and was appointed to the Junta following a failed, April 5 uprising by forces partial to Buenos Aires, and opposed to a Junta they viewed as unacceptably dominated by provincial figures. Funes directed the Gazeta de Buenos Ayres
Gazeta de Buenos Ayres
The Gazeta de Buenos Ayres was a newspaper created in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1810. It was initially used to give publicity to the government actions of the Primera Junta, the first Argentine government...
, the official Junta newsletter, and El Argos de Buenos Aires, the leading business publication, during his tenure, and encated laws bolstering freedom of the press
Freedom of the press
Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the freedom of communication and expression through vehicles including various electronic media and published materials...
despite the ongoing conflict with opponents. He also pressed for direct Junta control the granting of charter
Charter
A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified...
s, deeming this the most important of the body's jurisdictions.
Saavedra's absence led to a crisis on September 8, when the former was unseated. Funes was appointed to replace Saavedra as head of the Junta, which was stripped of executive authority and placed under the aegis of a Triumvirate
First Triumvirate (Argentina)
The First Triumvirate was the executive body of government that replaced the Junta Grande in the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata...
. He attempted to compromise by enacting a Decree of Organic Regulation to more clearly define separation of powers
Separation of powers
The separation of powers, often imprecisely used interchangeably with the trias politica principle, is a model for the governance of a state. The model was first developed in ancient Greece and came into widespread use by the Roman Republic as part of the unmodified Constitution of the Roman Republic...
and other considerations. This decree, the first legal code in the fledgling nation's history, was nullified by the Triumvirate's First Secretary, Bernardino Rivadavia
Bernardino Rivadavia
Bernardino de la Trinidad Gónzalez Rivadavia y Rivadavia was the first president of Argentina, from February 8, 1826 to July 7, 1827 . He was a politician of the United Provinces of Río de la Plata, Argentina today...
, however, who refused to offer or accept concessions to the now powerless Junta.
The Triumvirate's own frictions with the Regiment of Patricians, which they believed too autonomous for a military force of such scale, provided Funes with an opportunity to unseat the new regime when, on December 6, the Patricians rebelled against the regime in what became known as the Mutiny of the Braids. A counterinsurgency attack by Colonel José Rondeau
José Rondeau
José Casimiro Rondeau Pereyra was a general and politician in Argentina and Uruguay in the early 19th century.-Biography:...
quelled the revolt by December 11, however, and Funes was formally charged with sedition
Sedition
In law, sedition is overt conduct, such as speech and organization, that is deemed by the legal authority to tend toward insurrection against the established order. Sedition often includes subversion of a constitution and incitement of discontent to lawful authority. Sedition may include any...
. The Junta was formally replaced by the Triumvirate on December 22, and Funes' sentence was commuted the following January.
Elder statesman
Funes returned to Córdoba, where he authored one of the nation's first history texts, Ensayo de Historia Civil del Paraguay, Buenos Aires y Tucumán (Essay on the Civil History of Paraguay, Buenos Aires, and Tucumán). Writing became an occupation for the aging clergyman, and he refused the honor of representing his province at the 1816 Congress of TucumánCongress of Tucumán
The Congress of Tucumán was the representative assembly, initially meeting in Tucumán, that declared the independence of the United Provinces of South America on July 9, 1816, from the Spanish Empire....
. The congress provoked a revolt late in the year by League of the Free Peoples
Liga Federal
The Federal League or League of Free Peoples was a confederal state based around Montevideo from 1815 to 1820...
supporter José Gervasio Artigas
José Gervasio Artigas
José Gervasio Artigas is a national hero of Uruguay, sometimes called "the father of Uruguayan nationhood".-Early life:Artigas was born in Montevideo on June 19, 1764...
, and Funes accepted an appointment by Supreme Director Juan Martín de Pueyrredón
Juan Martín de Pueyrredón
Juan Martín de Pueyrredón y O'Dogan was an Argentine general and politician of the early 19th century. He was appointed Supreme Director of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata after the Argentine Declaration of Independence.-Early life:Pueyrredón was born in Buenos Aires, the fifth of...
as Governor of Córdoba. He later also accepted a post in replacement of one of two Córdoba representatives who resigned upon the relocation of the Congress of Tucumán to Buenos Aires in 1817.
Funes afterwards directed the congressional journal, El Redactor. He remained a monarchist, however, and advanced the notion of a constitutional monarchy
Constitutional monarchy
Constitutional monarchy is a form of government in which a monarch acts as head of state within the parameters of a constitution, whether it be a written, uncodified or blended constitution...
during a constitutional assembly held in 1819. Unable to prevail in this proposal, Funes nonetheless supported the new constitution, with which he shared a reliance on centralized government
Centralized government
A centralized or centralised government is one in which power or legal authority is exerted or coordinated by a de facto political executive to which federal states, local authorities, and smaller units are considered subject...
. He wrote its preamble, as well as the proclamation presented in its support to provincial leaders.
The 1819 Constitution, mainly due to its Unitarian bias, was rejected by most provinces in the hinterland, and those in the east formed a Liga Federal
Liga Federal
The Federal League or League of Free Peoples was a confederal state based around Montevideo from 1815 to 1820...
in revolt. Unitarian forces were defeated at the Battle of Cepeda
Battle of Cepeda (1820)
The Battle of Cepeda of 1820 took place on February 1 in Cañada de Cepeda, Santa Fe, Argentina.It was the first major battle that saw Unitarians and Federals as two constituted sides. Federal League Provinces of Santa Fe and Entre Ríos joined forces to topple the 1819 centralist Constitution, and...
of 1820, and Funes served as the national government's envoy to negotiate the February 23 Treaty of Pilar
Treaty of Pilar
The Treaty of Pilar was a pact signed among the rulers of the Argentine provinces of Santa Fe, Entre Ríos and Buenos Aires, which is recognized as the foundation of the federal organization of the country...
, upon which the constitution was rescinded.
Funes remained in Buenos Aires, and was appointed Trade Representative to Gran Colombia
Gran Colombia
Gran Colombia is a name used today for the state that encompassed much of northern South America and part of southern Central America from 1819 to 1831. This short-lived republic included the territories of present-day Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Panama, northern Peru and northwest Brazil. The...
by Governor Martín Rodríguez. He became acquainted with President Simón Bolívar
Simón Bolívar
Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios Ponte y Yeiter, commonly known as Simón Bolívar was a Venezuelan military and political leader...
during his stay in Bogotá
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
, and attempted in vain to persuade Governor Rodríguez to take part in the Congress of Panama
Congress of Panama
The Congress of Panama was a congress organized by Simón Bolívar in 1826 with the goal of bringing together the new republics of Latin America to develop a unified policy towards Spain...
, which President Bolívar had initially convened for December 1824, and which was, itself, postponed until 1826. Funes returned to assist in Governor Rodríguez's bid for national unity, the General Congress of 1824; the congress ultimately resulted in the Constitution of 1826, and the first (albeit temporary) centralized government in Argentina.
Funes retired in Buenos Aires. One of his friends, Santiago Spencer Wilde, invited the cleric for a tour of his recently-inaugurated Parque Argentino, the first public garden
Public Garden
Public Garden is the second mini-album by Dragon Ash; released in 1997. Realism II was used as the theme for Asahi National Broadcasting Co.'s "Sports Spotters" show.-Track listing:#"Realism II" – 2:55#"Ability → Normal" – 3:05...
in Buenos Aires; as they walked in the hot southern hemisphere summer, Dean Gregorio Funes collapsed, and died at age 79. Funes was interred at the La Recoleta Cemetery
La Recoleta Cemetery
La Recoleta Cemetery is a famous cemetery located in the exclusive Recoleta neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It contains the graves of notable people, including Eva Perón, Raúl Alfonsín, and several presidents of Argentina.- History :...
, though his remains were later transferred to the Córdoba Cathedral
Córdoba Cathedral
The Córdoba Cathedral is the central church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Córdoba, Argentina, and the oldest church in continuous service in Argentina.-Overview:...
. A town in the vicinity of his parish during the 18th century was named in honor (Deán Funes) upon its establishment in 1875.