Church of Nercón facts for kids
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
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Church of Nercón facade
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| Location | Nercón, Castro, Chiloé Island, Chiloé Province, Los Lagos Region, Chile |
| Part of | Churches of Chiloé |
| Criteria | Cultural: (ii), (iii) |
| Inscription | 2000 (24th Session) |
| Area | 0.64 ha (1.6 acres) |
The Church of Nercón is a special church on Chiloé Island in Chile. It's officially called Iglesia de Señora de Gracia de Nercón in Spanish. This beautiful church is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It stands in the small town of Nercón, which is about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) away from the larger town of Castro.
Building the Church of Nercón
The Church of Nercón was built around the year 1890. It was made mostly from two types of wood: cypress and larch. The church is quite large. It measures 40 meters (about 131 feet) long and 15 meters (about 49 feet) wide. Its tall tower reaches 25 meters (about 82 feet) into the sky.
Inside the church, you can see a special wooden sculpture. It shows Saint Michael with a demon at his feet. This amazing sculpture was carved from a single piece of wood. The inside walls of the church are painted to look like marble. This makes the church's interior look very elegant.
Special Days and Recognition
The Church of Nercón celebrates two important patron saint days each year. The first is for Our Lady of Grace, celebrated on September 8. The second is for Saint Michael the Archangel, celebrated on September 29. These days are special for the local community.
The Chilean government recognized the church's importance on July 27, 1984. They declared it a National Monument. Later, on November 30, 2000, the Church of Nercón received an even bigger honor. It became one of 16 Churches of Chiloé to be named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This means it's considered very important to the world's history and culture.
Restoring the Church
In January 2012, a big project began to restore the Church of Nercón. The main architect for this work was Katerine Araya. The head carpenter, who led the wood repairs, was Simón Cárcamo. The church standing today is not the very first one. The original church was rebuilt in 1879, and this new version was finished in 1895.
During the restoration, workers looked at the church's foundation. The architect's team found some old bone fragments and skulls underneath. They told the Council of National Monuments about these findings. Ms. Araya confirmed that these discoveries would be handled carefully. They followed the Law of National Monuments, which has rules for archaeological finds.
Some parts of the restoration caused discussion. For example, the decision to remove the church's dome (cupola) was debated. Also, the original cypress and larch woods are hard to find now. So, some rotting wood was replaced with other common types of wood. This also led to some discussions among local residents. However, as much of the original wood as possible was reused. The constant rain in Chiloé makes it difficult to keep the wood from rotting over time.
See also
In Spanish: Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de Gracia (Nercón) para niños
