Parroquia El Sagrario, Santiago de Chile, Colonial Catholic parish in Plaza de Armas, Chile.
The Parroquia El Sagrario is a stone church on the western side of Plaza de Armas in Santiago that connects to the neighboring cathedral through a side door. The building functions as an independent sanctuary within the religious complex at the heart of the city.
Pedro de Valdivia marked this spot for Chile's first church when he founded Santiago on 12 February 1541; the parish was erected in 1546 and the first building was destroyed in an indigenous uprising. In 1558 the Crown ordered a new parish church funded by the royal treasury. Joaquín Toesca began studies for a definitive church in the late 18th century, continued by Eusebio Chelli, and the present building of piedra sillar was inaugurated on 16 March 1863 by Monsignor Valentín Valdivieso. Ignacio Cremonesi remodelled it between 1897 and 1905.
The wooden image of Our Lady of Carmel, commissioned in France in 1833 by José Ramón Ossa for private use in Copiapó, was crowned Queen and Mother of Chile on 19 December 1926 before more than 400,000 faithful. Since 16 July 2004 it has stood in El Sagrario, which was canonically recognised as a sanctuary dedicated to Our Lady of Carmel on 19 December 2006. Devotion to Carmel was brought to Chile by the Augustinians in 1595, and the image's feast is celebrated each 16 July.
The chapel is easy to visit since it sits on Santiago's central Plaza de Armas and is accessible on foot from most parts of the downtown area. It helps to check visiting hours in advance, as times may vary depending on the day of the week.
The baroque tabernacle inside was probably made by hand in the 18th century, likely by a workshop of the Quito school. The altar, the tabernacle base and the column for the Virgin are concrete clad in marble, added in the 2000-2004 restoration led by architect Amaya Irarrázaval Zegers.
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