San Francisco Church (Valparaíso) facts for kids
The San Francisco Church (Spanish: Iglesia de San Francisco) is a Catholic church found on Barón Hill in Valparaíso, Chile. For many years, until the early 1900s, this church acted like a lighthouse for sailors arriving in Valparaíso. It was often the first building they could see, helping them find their way. Interestingly, Valparaíso is sometimes called Pancho, which is a short, friendly version of Francisco!
The church was built by a group of religious people called the Franciscan community. Its construction finished in 1846. Later, in 1890, an architect named Eduardo Provasoli updated and changed parts of the building.
The San Francisco Church was officially named a National Monument of Chile on July 19, 1983. This means it's a very important historical site. The church has faced some tough times, including being badly damaged by a fire in September 2010 while it was being rebuilt after the 2010 Chile earthquake. It was hit by another fire in August 2013, just before it was going to be officially reopened by President Sebastián Piñera.
Fires and Rebuilding
Fire in 1983
The San Francisco Church had a fire on February 4, 1983. Luckily, it was rebuilt in the years that followed, bringing it back to its original beauty.
Fire in 2010
On September 2, 2010, the San Francisco Church suffered a big fire. This happened while the church was already being repaired after a strong earthquake on February 27, 2010. The fire started in the attic, which is the space just under the roof. It badly damaged most of the church's roof. A nearby building, Luis Beltrán School, was also affected.
The fire began around noon (12:00 PM) while a priest was leading a church service for about 60 people. Everyone inside the church was quickly and safely moved out. About 600 students from the nearby Luis Beltrán School were also evacuated to keep them safe.
The church was supposed to reopen on September 15, according to the priest, Javier McMahon. People believe that sparks from some welding work might have caused the fire. The Chilean government's Ministry of Public Works estimated that the damage cost about 2.5 billion Chilean pesos, which was around 5 million US dollars at that time.
Fire in 2013
Sadly, the church was hit by fire again on August 2, 2013. This fire started at 4:30 AM. The cause of this fire was investigated. Firefighters told a newspaper called La Tercera that the building was not at risk of falling down. At the time, the church was still being repaired and was almost ready to be reopened by President Sebastián Piñera.
