Iglesia de San Antonio de Padua, Franciscan church in San Felipe, Chile.

Iglesia de San Antonio de Padua is a neoclassical church in San Felipe, Chile, located in the El Almendral neighborhood. The structure features a roughly 30-meter-high tower and well-proportioned front facade designed by architect Eduardo Provasoli.

In 1860 the Italian Franciscan Antonio Gavilucci founded a convent, novitiate and study house at El Almendral to train missionaries for southern Chile. Convent construction began in 1865; the church, built of wood and adobe, was inaugurated in 1876. The front and 30-meter tower by architect Eduardo Provasoli followed from 1878, with German-made bells and clock installed in 1883. The complex was declared a National Historic Monument in 1972.

The interior walls are painted in pale blues, pinks and yellows to imitate marble, a finish recovered during the restoration carried out between 1990 and 2000. The church also holds a varied collection of colonial-era religious imagery, with period furniture and figures dressed in the clothing of that era.

The building is open to visitors and regularly holds religious services and welcomes those who wish to explore its architecture. It is helpful to check ahead to see if special events might affect access during your visit.

The convent founded in 1860 was built from 1865, and the church rose in wood and adobe from late 1872, inaugurated in 1876. The 30-meter tower and front facade, designed by Italian architect Eduardo Provasoli, followed from 1878; its bells and clock arrived from Germany in 1883.