Churches in Chiloé - World Cultural Heritage in Chile

Unesco's Science, Education and Culture Organization has recognized Chilean churches as a World Cultural Heritage in 2000.

The churches in Chiloé were a system of religious structures built of wood between the 17th and the 19th centuries. These constructions were built to serve the Franciscan order in the Latin American region.

The churches in Chile are located on the island of Chiloé, the largest island in Chile, about 1000 km south of Santiago. Islanders come from many different countries and cultures, so the island's identity is extremely rich and diverse. The climate on the island is also quite cool with high humidity so it is suitable for growing plants. Centuries ago, the island of Chiloé developed and was an island with a system of large primeval forests, extremely fertile and fertile land.

Because of the development of a primitive forest system , the island of Chiloé has a lot of wood. It is also for this reason that numerous works on the island are built with the main material being wood. The number of wood-built constructions on the island of Chiloé is so numerous and varied that there seems to be a platform of private wood culture architecture developed here. Despite having only 400 years of history, Chilean traditional architecture is not inferior to other countries. On the contrary, the combination and distillation of the essence of European architecture combined with traditional architecture and materials has brought an impressive appearance to Chilean architecture.

Wooden churches are one of the first public buildings to be built on the island of Chiloe. Not only are they religiously significant, they also represent the island's culture and development. The first inhabitants to the island were those who migrated from Europe, these settlers brought their culture, customs and habits to the island. But unlike many other European settlements, the island of Chiloé is more focused on public buildings than developing recreational facilities. Colonial people on the island Chiloé values ​​church construction and considers it a foundation for social development.

The churches on the island of Chiloé are especially not only because these are beautiful architectural constructions but because they are built mainly from wood materials. The churches in Europe or some countries in the Americas are mostly built from stone, or stone combined with local materials only the church on Chiloé is built primarily from wood. Still in Gothic style but using wood materials, it brought an impressive appearance and architecture to the churches on Chilóe Island. Combined with the natural landscape around the region, the wood architecture stands out and becomes beautiful places on Chiló Island.

Chiló Church has an exterior architecture that looks like a crucifix, including a chapel and basilica. The light of the church is taken from the dome, the almost identical internal structure consists of 16,17 pillars of the pillar supporting the roof forming the frame for the church. The churches on Chilóe are a testament to the perfect combination of European culture and architecture with the local culture, creating a unique cultural identity for the island.

The churches in Chiloé are recognized as World Cultural Heritage under the criteria (ii) and (iii):

Criterion (ii): The churches in Chiloé are outstanding examples of the successful combination of indigenous traditional culture and European culture. This combination has created beautiful wooden structures.

Criterion (iii): The results of missionary activities on Chiló island have been shown through the church buildings on the island. These churches are quite intact since they were built around the 17th and 18th centuries so far.