Church of Quinchao facts for kids
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
|---|---|
Church of Quinchao in mid-2011, following its restoration
|
|
| Location | Quinchao Island, Quinchao, Chiloé Province, Los Lagos Region, Chile |
| Part of | Churches of Chiloé |
| Criteria | Cultural: (ii), (iii) |
| Inscription | 2000 (24th Session) |
| Area | 1.286 ha (3.18 acres) |
The Church of Quinchao (Iglesia de Quinchao) is a famous old church. You can find it in the village of Quinchao, which is on Chiloé Island in Chile. It's a very important stop for people on a special religious journey called a pilgrimage.
This church is one of 16 amazing Churches of Chiloé. These churches are so special that UNESCO made them a World Heritage Site in 2000. This means they are important for everyone in the world to protect! The Church of Quinchao was also named a National Monument of Chile in 1971.
The church is dedicated to Our Lady of Grace. Her special day is December 8th. On this day, hundreds of people come to Quinchao. They celebrate the Our Lady of Grace Festival. It's one of the biggest religious parties on the archipelago of Chiloé.
Contents
Where is the Church of Quinchao?
The Church of Quinchao has a large open space in front of it. This area is like a big yard or plaza. It runs next to the sea, just about a block from the coast.
Building the Church
The first version of this church was finished in 1880. It was built using wood from cypress, canelo, and avellano trees. Over the years, the church has been fixed up many times. Big repairs happened in 1906, 1960, 1993, and 2010.
This church and the Church of Santa María de Loreto, Achao are the only ones left that were built by the Jesuits. The Church of Quinchao is the biggest church in Chiloé. It is about 52.8 meters long and 18.4 meters wide. Its tall tower reaches 18.3 meters high.
A Look at History
The spot where the church stands was chosen way back in 1605. People talked about it even before 1767. In 1906, some outside walkways of the church were removed. Later, in the 1960s, a back part of the church was also taken away.
The church was fixed up in 1993. Then, in December 2000, it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Bringing the Church Back to Life
By 2006, the church was in very bad shape. It was closed because people were worried it might fall down! It was the first of the Chiloé churches to get a full restoration. This big repair included putting in a strong concrete base. New wooden beams and a new frame for the floor were added.
More than 80% of the main wood parts had to be replaced. But, 95% of the old wood that was still good was used again. Workers also put on 90,000 new larch shingles (like roof tiles).
In the past, the church was mostly made from coigüe, ulm, and cypress woods. After the restoration, it has much more larch and mañío wood. The first big restoration happened between 1995 and 1997. Then, in 2006, more money was spent to fix it even more. The tall tower was carefully taken apart and rebuilt.
In 2012, the people who cared for the church and a group called "Friends of the Churches of Chiloé" won an award. The National Monuments Council gave them a prize for their great work. This was for the two big repair projects that happened in 2007-2008 and 2009-2010. Patricia Mondaca was the main architect who led this important project.
See also
- List of Jesuit sites
