Antonio Sáenz

He studied at the Real Colegio de San Carlos between 1794 and 1800, gained his degree in 1802, and became a doctor in law in Chuquisaca in 1804, having been ordained as a priest some years before.

His appointment was opposed by the Bishop of Buenos Aires, Benito Lué y Riega [es], and they fought publicly, culminating in Sáenz's imprisonment and trial.

He took part in the revolutionary events of May 1810 and represented San Luis Province in the 1813 Assembly.

In 1812 it was Sáenz that found the dead body of Bishop Lue and suspicion was immediately placed on the younger priest, given the two men's history, an accusation he never shook off.

Sáenz was elected by Buenos Aires to the Congress of Tucumán and helped to write the declaration of independence in 1816, in his capacity as President of the Academy of Jurisprudence.