Church of San Pedro de Atacama facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Church of San Pedro de AtacamaIglesia San Pedro de Atacama |
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Facade of Iglesia de San Pedro de Atacama
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| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Roman Catholic |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Church |
| Location | |
| Location |  San Pedro de AtacamaEl Loa Province, Antofagasta Region |
| Architecture | |
| Completed | 17th century |
| Materials | Mud and Cacti wood |
The Church of San Pedro de Atacama (also known as Iglesia San Pedro de Atacama) is a Catholic church located in San Pedro de Atacama, Chile. It was built a very long time ago, during the time when Spain ruled over many parts of South America. People believe it is the second oldest church in all of Chile!
This church is special because it was built using local materials. The main material is adobe, which is a type of mud brick. Its look is simple but also very beautiful. The church was first built in the 1600s. It was changed a bit in the 1700s and then again in the 1800s. In 1951, it was officially named a historical monument. This means it's a very important building that needs to be protected.
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Where is the Church Located?
The Church of San Pedro de Atacama is in the town of San Pedro de Atacama. You can find it on the west side of the main town square, called Plaza de Armas. Close by is the oldest building in the town, called Casa Incaica, which was built way back in 1540.
San Pedro was originally home to the Atacameño people, also known as Kunzas. Today, it is a busy place that many tourists visit. The town is about 314 kilometers (195 miles) away from the city of Antofagasta.
A Look at the Church's History
The town of San Pedro actually had an even older church before this one. That first church was built more than 100 years earlier! The church we see today was built in the 17th century. This was when Chile was under Spanish colonial rule.
The church is named after its patron saint, Saint Peter. Over the years, the church has been repaired and updated many times. Its current walls were built in 1744. A tall tower was added to the church in 1964. More building work happened in 1978. In 2009, a big project began to fix up the church, which is about 765 square meters (8,234 square feet) in size.
What Makes the Church Special?
The Church of San Pedro de Atacama is built using adobe material. It has three doors, and the main entrance has a beautiful arched stone design. The ceiling inside is made of wooden beams. Both the inside and outside of the church are painted white. However, the altar inside is very colorful!
The walls, roof, and even the entrance door are made from special local wood. They used algarrobo wood and cardón, which is a type of cactus wood. These pieces of wood are held together using llama leather. This is a traditional building method from the altiplano region. The roof has large algarrobo wood beams. On top of these beams are slices of cactus logs. You can see algarrobo trees and pepper trees growing right next to the church.
Inside the church, the altarpieces are carved and painted with beautiful designs. There are also statues of Saint Mary and Saint Joseph. These statues even have special lights that make them glow!
See also
In Spanish: Iglesia de San Pedro (San Pedro de Atacama) para niños
