"Older children of Joaquina Andrea Naveira López and José García Camposa, farmers, Juan and Jesús emigrated to Argentina in 1869 and 1871 respectively. They settled in Buenos Aires , where they managed to form a group of companies for which they would obtain a considerable fortune, as well as to form part as directors of different commercial and financial entities.
In 1893, Juan returned to Galicia , settling first in La Coruña and later in Betanzos, where he had an eclectic-style house built , designed by the architect Juan de Ciórraga y Fernández de la Bastida . Her brother Jesus often went to her, whenever her business allowed her to travel to Europe. Their entrepreneurial spirit and the precarious economic situation in their hometown led both brothers to dedicate part of their fortune to promoting charitable works, including public facilities, schools and welfare institutions.
In 1912, at the age of 59, Jesús died as a result of injuries in a traffic accident in San Nicolás de los Arroyos (Argentina). On August 17, the City Council of Betanzos held an act of tribute in his memory. Juan continued to reside with his family in Betanzos until his death, at the age of 83. Years later, in 1937, both brothers were honored by placing a marble plaque in the building where they lived, with the following inscription:
“The beloved sons of this city lived in this house, Excmos. Mr. Juan Mª and Mr. Jesús García Naveira. Their philanthropy earned them the gratitude of their fellow citizens, reflected in this memory dedicated to them by the Hon. Betanzos City Council. August 17, 1912. August 2, 1937
Joint
García Hermanos charitable-teaching board, constituted on August 23, 1908 for the creation of a nursing home and schools for children. The facilities, the work of the architect Ricardo Boán y Callejas , were inaugurated on November 10, 1912.
Free public laundry, built in 1902 to facilitate the work of the municipality's washerwomen .
Juan's Singles
Pastime Park , started in 1893 and finished in 1914, conceived as a recreational area.
A second laundry room, annexed to the previous one, completed in 1912.
A shelter for the physically disabled , inaugurated in 1923 and entrusted to the Hospitaller Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus .
A sanatorium to accommodate the sick nuns of the Congregation of the Little Sisters of the Helpless Elders .
A series of donations to improve the old Hospital of San Antonio de Betanzos.
Singles of Jesus
Legacy of 50,000 pesetas for the creation of municipal schools, whose construction began in 1917 under the direction of Rafael González Villar .
Legacy of 50,000 pesetas for the construction of a House of the People , also the work of the aforementioned González Villar, which would begin to be built in 1918.
Hermanos García Naveira Square
The central square of Betanzos, popularly known as Praza do Campo-Plaza del Campo 3 , was renamed in recognition of the philanthropic work carried out by the two brothers. On one side is the house where they lived, built by Juan shortly after returning to Galicia, which was also the headquarters of the family business. In the center of the square, a statue commemorates the two benefactors. Originally it stood in the gardens of the Park Pasatiempo and was taken in 1983"
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The double statue, is about four meters high, and is made of marble, like the pedestal immediately below. They are both on another granite pedestal.
It shows us a brother pointing and the other looking thoughtfully, in elegant period clothes.