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Chiloe Islands UNESCO world heritage sites

Chiloe north

Church of Colo in Quemchi at W.233, Colo
The church was built from wood around 1890 and remains in good condition.

Church of Tenaun in Tenaun on Teniente Merino St
The church is based on a base of stones and coigue wood. Its structure is composed mainly of wood of tepa, tenio and cinnamon. The interior lining is made of larch wood, while the outer covering is made of larch tiles and cypress overlap of the Guaitecas and larch. The roof is made of corrugated sheets of galvanized iron.

Church San Juan Bautista in San Juan de Coquihuil at W-235 47
Commonly referred to as «Church of San Juan» —Spanish: Iglesia de San Juan—, is within the Diocese of Ancud; its construction was finished around 1887.

Church of Our Lady of Sorrows in Dalcahue at Plaza de Armas
It was built at the end of the 19th century in a site formerly occupied by a Jesuit missionary chapel.

Chiloe central

Church of Quinchao in Quinchao at Villa Quinchao
The patron saint of the church is Our Lady of Grace, whose feast day is celebrated on December 8. On this day hundreds of people flock to the village of Quinchao to participate in the Our Lady of Grace Festival, one of the most important religious festivals on the archipelago of Chiloe.

Church of Santa María de Loreto in Achao at Progreso 04
The Achao church is one of the oldest traditional Chiloé churches built in the 18th and 19th centuries, and survives almost intact from de Jesuit mission era.

Church of St Mary in Rilan at 515 Emilio Marquez St.
The history of the church dates back to 1658, when Rilan was a settlement for indigenous communities. The current church was built early in the 19th century from coigue and cypress wood and is lined with alerce, cypress and manio.

Church of San Francisco in Castro on Gamboa St.
Castro is Chile's third oldest city in continued existence. It was founded in February, 1567 by Martín Ruiz de Gamboa, who was sent by his father-in-law, temporary governor of Chile Rodrigo de Quiroga, to establish a city on the Chiloe Archipelago called Santiago de Castro. That same year, a church was built with the name of the apostle Saint James (Santiago in Spanish), which was to be used in the evangelization of the indigenous peoples of Chiloe.

Church of Senora de Gracia in Castro on Plaza de Nercon
It is 40 metres long, 15 metres wide, and has a tower that stretches 25 metres high. Inside there is a sculpture of Saint Michael with a demon at his feet that was made with only one piece of wood, and the interior paint makes it appear as though it were marble.

Church San Antonio de Padua in Chonchi at W-625, Vilupulli
Built at the beginning of the 20th century, the patron saint of the church of Vilupulli is St Anthony – also the patron saint of the Church of Colo – whose feast day is celebrated on June 13.

Church of St Charles Borromeo in Chonchi at Francisco Corral 297
This church belongs to the parish of San Carlos.

Chiloe south

Church of the Nativity of Maria in Puqueldon at Ichuac
In the early 1990s, the local community in Ichuac joined together to coordinate reparations on the church and it is currently considered to be in good condition.

Church of Jesus of Nazareth in Puqueldon at Aldachildo
The Church of Aldachildo was completed at the end of the 19th century and has not been subject to reparations or replacement of materials. It is currently in good condition although there has been some deterioration of the exterior and nave panels.

Church James the Apostle Church in Puqueldon at Detif
Built on a stone base to protect it from soil humidity, the church was made from coigue and alerce wood and lined with alerce tiles. Due to the scarcity of metals on the islands of Lemuy and Chiloe, wooden rivets were used in place of iron nails.

Chiloe east

Our Lady of the Rosary Church on Chelin Island
Construction of the church, built from wood, was completed in 1888 and it was restored in 1990.

Jesus Nazareno Church on Caguach Island
In 1919, the original Church of Caguach was destroyed completely by a fire, and rebuilt in 1925 by local inhabitants using wood, the material used in the original structure. This was the third church built in Caguach.