The Most Beautiful Churches to Visit on the Chiloe Islands

Photo of Will Lees
Will Lees
27 December 2017

The archipelago of Chiloe Islands off southern Chile, do not cover a large surface area, but with all the inlets and waterways, it creates a number of islands known for rugged beauty, and also traditional wooden churches, very unique to this area. In fact, the Chiloe Islands contain a total of 16 churches built in the 18th and 19th centuries that have been declared as World Heritage Sites.

Rainy Plaza de Armas | © Fotografia transicion / Flickr

Church of Quinchao

Church
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This is one of the main stops on the pilgrimage path on Chiloe and is one of the largest of the wooden churches in the area measuring almost 53 meters long and over 18 meters high. On December 8th every year, hundreds of locals gather in the small town for Our Lady of Grace Festival, the patron saint of the Church of Quinchao.
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9091 La Florida, Villa los Rosales 2, La Florida, Región Metropolitana, Chile

Church of Nercón

Church
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Nercon
Nercon | © Srikanth Jandhyala / Flickr
In Nercon, less than 5 km outside the town of Castro, you’ll find the Church of Nercon, which is of the traditional wooden architectural style you become accustomed to seeing on Chiloe Island. Though the current church is actually not the original one, as a rebuild of the church was started in 1879 and completed in 1895.
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Nercón, Los Lagos, Chile
+56976190946

Church of San Francisco

The main catholic church of Chiloe’s capital, this is also the center piece, located in the middle of town next to the Plaza de Armas and is a landmark that is hard to miss. The large yellow building does not follow the same architectural style, nor the use of only wood, as this Neo-Gothic style church has a roof constructed of galvanized iron.

San Martín 462, Castro

Church of Ichuac

Church
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Number two of the three churches available to visit on the Island of Lemuy, is the Church of Ichuac. This church, that sits on a very unassuming plot of land in the very modest town next to a harbour on the west side of the island was named a Natural Monument of Chile in 1999 and a Heritage Site the following year.
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Los Lagos, Chile

Church of Detif

Church
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Detif
Detif | © Nicolas / Flickr
Rounding out the three churches on Lemuy, is the Church of Detif, located near to the water in the big sweeping bay at the bottom peninsula of the island. Constructed in 1734, this church has gone through a few modifications and upgrades due to the deterioration from the active seas but is still very much maintained in its original, faded wooden state.
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Detif, Puqueldón, Región de los Lagos, Chile

Church of Chonchi

Church
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Chonchi
Chonchi | © Zoe / Flickr
The Church of Chonchi would be considered one of the least traditional churches in Chiloe and one of the loudest, with the baby blue, and beige exterior. The patron saint of this church is Charles Borromeo, so it is oftentimes referred to as the Iglesia de San Carlos Borromeo. It lies up the hill from the water, in the center of the quaint town of Chonchi.
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297 Francisco Corral, Chonchi, Los Lagos, Chile

Church of Tenaún

Church
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Tenaun
Tenaun | © ix4svs / Flickr
Another church that adds a touch of colour to the town, is that of Tenaún – the frontage is a combination of gold, blue, and white, with two stars on either side of the main window. Unlike most of the other churches on Chiloe, this one is named not after its location, but after the three peaks it has, which is what Tenaún translates to in one of this area’s native tongues.
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Tenaún, Los Lagos, Chile

Church of Colo

Church
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If you have been travelling around Chile you will have encountered the words Colo-Colo whether its the most famous football team in the country, name of an area of a city, or a main avenue – it refers to Colocolo, the historic Mapuche leader. This church, as well as the town, Colo, where it is located honours the tribal leader, who with time and lack of accurate details, has become somewhat of an inflated mythical creature.
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Los Lagos, Chile

San Juan Bautista

Considering the full, official name is The Church of San Juan Bautista de San Juan de Coquihuil, you can imagine that people would naturally refer to it simply as the Church of San Juan. It is located in the remote countryside just outside of the town of Dalcahue.

W-235 47, Dalcahue

Church of Vilupulli

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Vilupulli
Vilupulli | © Christian Gonzalez G. / Flickr
Even though one of the more recent constructions, built in the early 20th century, the Church of Vilupulli adapts to the architectural style of the other churches on the island, with the shallow archways, tall pillars and high tower atop the entrance to the church.
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Vilupulli, Los Lagos, Chile

Church of Chelín

Church
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Possibly the most remote church of all sixteen Churches of Chiloe, is the Church of Chelin. Off the coast of Chonchi are the scattered islands and Lumay Island, which houses three churches, is the tiny rock of Isla Chelin. This goes to show that in such a religious part of the world, the belief is that no town or land mass should go without a place of worship.
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Los Lagos, Chile

Church of Caguach

Church
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Last and by no means least, the Church of Caguach lies at the southernmost tip of the little island of Isla Caguach, one of the islands farthest removed from Isla Grande de Chiloe. The archways on this church are more square than most of the other Chiloe churches, and with its maroon red colour, many people mistake it for a barn.
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Cabach, Chile
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