Church of San Francisco, Castro facts for kids
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
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Church of San Francisco facade
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| Location | Castro, Chiloé Island, Chiloé Province, Los Lagos Region, Chile |
| Part of | Churches of Chiloé |
| Criteria | Cultural: (ii), (iii) |
| Inscription | 2000 (24th Session) |
| Area | 0.6727 ha (1.662 acres) |
The Church of San Francisco (which means St. Francis Church in Spanish) is a very important Catholic church. You can find it in Castro, a city on Chiloé Island in Chile. It stands right next to the main square, called Plaza de Armas.
This church is quite large! It covers an area of 1,404 square meters. It is 52 meters wide and 27 meters high. The dome above the main altar reaches 32 meters, and its tall towers are 42 meters high. Sometimes people call it the Iglesia Apóstol Santiago (St. James Church). Some even mistakenly call it a "cathedral," but the real cathedral for the area is in Ancud. However, the Church of San Francisco is still very important. It leads one of the 24 local church areas in the region.
The church was recognized as a Chilean National Monument in 1979. Later, on November 30, 2000, UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site. This means it's considered a special place that is important to the whole world!
History of the Church of San Francisco
Castro is one of the oldest cities in Chile that is still active today. It was founded in February 1567 by Martín Ruiz de Gamboa. He was sent by his father-in-law, who was the temporary governor of Chile. Martín's job was to build a city on the Chiloé Archipelago and name it Santiago de Castro.
In that same year, a church was built. It was named after the apostle Saint James (Santiago in Spanish). This church was used to help teach the local people of Chiloé about Christianity. Over time, the church burned down and was rebuilt many times. Its final major reconstruction happened in 1771. After that, it became a parish church managed by the Jesuits.
A priest named Fray Ángel Custodio Subiabre Oyarzún was in charge of the church from 1910 to 1912. He oversaw some of the church's construction during that time.
Architecture and Design
The design of the Church of San Francisco was created by an Italian architect named Eduardo Provasoli. Unlike many other churches of Chiloé, this church has a Neo-Gothic style. This means it looks like older Gothic churches but was built more recently. Local carpenters from Chiloé built the church. They worked under the guidance of Salvador Sierpe.
The carpenters used wood from the local area for the church's structure. They used types of wood like the alerce, cypress, and coigüe. Other native woods were also used. Inside the church, the wood used is Rauli Beech and olivillo. However, the outside parts, like the facade, roof, and outer walls, are covered with sheets of galvanized iron.
Inside the church, you can see several important images. There is a statue of the Archangel Michael defeating Satan. There is also an image of Saint Alberto Hurtado. You can also find a copy of the image of Jesus that is in the Church of Caguach in Quinchao, Chiloé.
The church's front is often painted with bright colors. This makes it stand out and look very beautiful in Castro's main square.
Gallery
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Church interior.
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Altar of Archangel Michael.
See also
In Spanish: Iglesia de San Francisco (Castro) para niños
