Iglesia San Francisco de Borja, Santiago, Gothic Revival church in Santiago, Chile
Iglesia San Francisco de Borja is a Gothic Revival church in Santiago characterized by pointed arches, ribbed vaults, and a large rose window on its facade. The interior features 29 stained glass panels imported from France that depict religious scenes and fill the space with colored light.
The Daughters of Charity ordered the chapel for Hospital San Borja; its first stone was laid on 8 January 1872 under President Federico Errázuriz Zañartu and Archbishop Rafael Valentín Valdivieso. It opened on 4 May 1876 as the Sagrado Corazón de Jesús chapel, inspired by the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris. The architect is disputed: some attribute it to the British architect G. Hovenden Henry, others to French professionals. CORMU announced the hospital's demolition in 1967, but protests by nuns, doctors and the University of Chile architecture school stopped it; the chapel passed to Carabineros in 1975.
The church is also called the Carabineros church and was renamed in 1982 after Francisco de Borja, the 4th Duke of Gandía, who took religious vows after his wife Leonor de Castro died and later led the Society of Jesus; Clement X canonised him in 1671. Its 29 stained-glass windows came from the Bordeaux workshop of Gustave-Pierre Dagrant, signed in 1875.
The church sits at Carabineros de Chile 160 near the Universidad Católica and Baquedano metro stations and Parque San Borja. The location is centrally accessible by public transport, making it straightforward to reach from different parts of the city.
The hospital was slated for demolition in 1967, not 1977; nuns, doctors and the University of Chile architecture school pushed back and the chapel was saved. CORMU handed the temple to Carabineros on 19 November 1975, with official reception on 23 April 1976.
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