Parroquia Nuestra Señora de Andacollo, Catholic parish church in Santiago, Chile.
Parroquia Nuestra Señora de Andacollo is a Catholic church on the same city block as Colegio de Nuestra Señora de Andacollo, both run by the Congregation of Holy Cross. Its parish territory covers about 72 blocks west of Santiago's old downtown, between Avenida Balmaceda and San Pablo. The 1985 earthquake brought down the tower and bells during mass; the church was rededicated on 6 December 1986.
The site began in 1865 as a chapel to St. Vincent Ferrer serving the faithful west of Santiago's old downtown; in 1901 the archdiocese authorised a church there, and by 1903 the community was called the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Andacollo. On 6 June 1912 Bishop Juan Ignacio González Eyzaguirre erected the parish with Ladislao Godoy as first pastor. The 1985 earthquake toppled the tower during Mass; restoration began on 3 December 1985 and Cardinal Juan Francisco Fresno rededicated the church on 6 December 1986. The 2010 earthquake forced worship outdoors for weeks.
The parish is named for Our Lady of Andacollo, a Marian image venerated in Chile; the community was already called the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Andacollo from 1903. Nicomedes Guzmán's 1943 novel La sangre y la esperanza sets the parish bells at key moments of its story of neighbourhood poverty. Today the parish serves long-time residents and immigrants from Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador and Colombia, with a thrift store and a soup kitchen for the elderly.
The parish lies west of Santiago's old downtown, bounded by Avenida Balmaceda and Parque de los Reyes to the north, San Pablo to the south, Almirante Barroso to the east, and Esperanza and Libertad to the west. It shares its block with Colegio de Nuestra Señora de Andacollo. The soup kitchen still needs structural reinforcement after the 2010 earthquake, so parts of the complex may be closed.
The 1985 earthquake struck during Mass; everyone left the church safely, but the tower fell. Restoration began on 3 December 1985, and Cardinal Juan Francisco Fresno rededicated the church on 6 December 1986. The 2010 earthquake forced parishioners to worship outdoors for several weeks.
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