Capilla del Hospital San Juan de Dios de Chillán, Historical chapel at Hospital San Juan de Dios, Chillán, Chile.
The Capilla del Hospital San Juan de Dios de Chillán is a rectangular chapel with nearly one-meter-thick adobe walls and ten wooden columns supporting twelve arches. Three sides of the building are surrounded by covered corridors that lead to the central nave with its semicircular altar.
The chapel was built in 1874 and replaced an original structure from 1791 that had been ordered by Governor Ambrosio O'Higgins as part of Chile's fourth hospital. The new construction responded to the growing medical needs of the region during the 19th century.
The chapel displays how colonial style was expressed in religious spaces, with a single nave and semicircular altar that follow traditional Spanish building practices. Visitors can observe how wooden columns and arches shape the prayer space according to 19th century religious architecture.
Access to the chapel is integrated with the adjacent hospital visiting hours and may require prior notification. Following the severe 2010 earthquake, the building underwent comprehensive restoration, resulting in stable structures and good interior lighting.
The chapel ceiling displays a rare architectural feature: ribs that radiate from column capitals to form a vault. This construction method is unique in Chile and reveals how builders innovatively used wooden structures in the 19th century.
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