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Catedral de Santiago

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LenR
LenR
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Cathedral of Santiago

  • October 26, 2009
  • Rated 4 of 5 by LenR from Townsville, Australia
Cathedral of Santiago

The present-day Plaza de Armas is on the site of the central square laid out by Pedro de Valdivia when he founded Santiago in 1541. Unlike many South American plazas, there is no lawn but there are trees, paths, paved areas and seats. It is still the heart of the city.

The first church was built on the square in 1551 and subsequent ones were built after the earthquakes of 1647 and 1730. The present building was built in 1748-75 but it was not long before Joaquin Toesca remodelled the facade in neo—classical style. The towers were added in the 1879 – 1906 period and further changes were made to the facades of the cathedral, church offices and archbishop’s palace to make them more unified. The size of the Cathedral cannot be fully appreciated from the front entrance, so make sure you duck around Calle Catedral to observe the building in its full monolithic dimensions.

This is undoubtedly Chile’s grandest church and you should not miss it. The interior is equally impressive so take some time to appreciate the gilded altars and other elements. Inside, it is possible to appreciate three naves, as well as a barrel-vaulted ceiling. Along the right nave there are urns said to contain remains of the first Chilean cardinal and others. The central nave leads past magnificently carved mahogany altar seats to the white marble main altar constructed in Munich in 1912. You also see the 16th-century pulpits, the 1756 organ and the altar of Santa Teresa of the Andes.

The Left Nave has a succession of altars, like Patron of the City (Santiago the Major) and the San Miguel Archangel, with its beautiful statue. The most outstanding is the Holy Sacrament chapel, similar to the Saint John and Saint Paul Martyr chapel in Rome.

There are Masses from Monday to Sunday of 9 to 19 hours. The Cathedral was declared a National Monument in 1951 and houses the Museum of Sacred Art which surprisingly only opens on a Monday. We didn’t see it.

From journal Santiago Memorable Buildings

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