Simple, wooden churches dot the shorelines in the Chiloe Archipelago. Built in remote communities on Chile’s western edge, the local construction methods used and their Jesuit history combine to make a uniquely Chilean experience. These wooden churches have rightly earned their UNESCO World Heritage status.
Jesuit Wooden Churches
After seeing the stilt houses in Castro, we were excited to visit Chiloe’s other important heritage buildings, the UNESCO World Heritage wooden churches. Their history goes back to the Jesuits who arrived in the Chiloe Archipelago in the 17th and 18th centuries to establish missions. Since the archipelago encompasses a large area, separated from the rest of Chile by great distances, the Jesuits had a planned route to vist each mission. Jesuit missionairies would spend a few days at each community, before moving on to the next, and were referred to as Circular Missions. In their absence, local men were trained to continue the mission’s purpose. After the Jesuits were exiled to Spain, their work was continued by Franciscan monks.
The Huilliche people of Chiloe were known to be skilled shipbuilders and woodworkers for several generations before the Jesuits arrived. Working with wood was natural to them, so instead of building stone or brick churches, as was common in other parts of colonial South America, these carpenters used their shipbuilding expertise to build churches.
One of the main features are the wooden shingles, called tejuelas, found on the exterior walls and roofs. They were hand-cut and fastened with wooden rivets. You will see them in a variety of patterns on most of the wooden buildings throughout Chiloe. Another interesting detail is that there are very few nails in any of the churches. Instead, carpenters used the same wooden rivets from the tejulas on most of their joints. Because of these unique techniques, it is referred to as the Chilota School of Architecture.
Most of the churches throughout the islands have similar styles. They are rectangular buildings with a gabled roof, a tall bell tower or two, and a portico in front. Unfortunately, most of the buildings we see are not the originals. When restored or replaced, though, they were built to replicate the originals as much as possible. Of the over 100 churches built, up to 70 are still standing. Sixteen of those are designed UNESCO World Heritage Sites and are spread throughout the archipelago.
We were able to visit a few of the UNESCO churches while in Chiloe, and we’ll take you to those now.
San Francisco Church in Castro
Located in Castro, San Francisco Church had a tough beginning. The first one, named after James the Apostle, was built by the Jesuits in the 1500s, but was soon burned down by Dutch pirates. Fires also destroyed the next two, one of which was built under the Franciscans. The building we see today was built in the early 1900s. Even though local Chiloen carpenters built it, the church’s design combines vernacular style with neo-gothic features. The reason is that it was designed by an Italian architect.
San Francisco was the first wooden church we saw, and it wasn’t what we expected. Intead of a humble wooden structure, we found a large yellow building with purple bell towers. We were told that it was covered in sheet metal to protect the wood from the humidity and sun. Even though it wasn’t as quaint as we anticipated, the colourful church does fit in with the polychromatic town.
The interior was also unexpected and vastly different from the exterior. There was no doubt it was made with wood, and instead of looking like a church, it felt more like a cozy log house. Everything, including the domes, columns, floors and altars show the exposed, stained wood. The nave lacks the ornate ornamentation common in many Spanish colonial churches and instead, lets the woodwork speak for itself.
Nercon Church
Only 4 km from Castro’s downtown is another wooden church, but this one is more humble than Castro’s. Built in the typical local style called Chilota School of Architecture, the wooden Our Lady of Grace Church (Iglesia de Señora de Gracia de Nercón) has a tall central bell tower and a long, covered pergola. The manicured hedges on the front lawn make the scene truly adorable.
Beside it, the cemetery climbs the small knoll.
Inside, shiplap siding covers the walls and barrel ceiling. Both are painted creamy white, while the pillars are decorated with marble-like streaks. The blue wooden altar in front creates a nautical feel. Adding to this is the boat, placed where side altars usually are, and small ship mobiles hanging from the ceiling. These small details add so much charm to the heritage building.
Getting to Nercon
If you don’t have a car, it is easy to reach Nercon from Casto. Bus 2 leaves from Castro’s downtown every 10 minutes. You can find the bus stops on Google Maps.
Church of Chonchi
Further south on Chiloe Island, we visited Chonchi and its UNESCO church. The town is quite a bit larger than Nercon, and therefore so is its church. The wooden base of Iglesia San Carlos de Borromeo is still exposed, but as with Castro’s church, sheet metal protects the tower and upper level. The blue wooden pillars and yellow tower make it very attractive, even if the yellow is metal.
Inside, the design is a larger version of Nercon’s, except that its ceiling is painted blue to match the exterior.
Since Chonchi is a larger town, we spent time wandering its streets as we made our way downhill to the waterfront. On our walk we found many excellent examples of typical Chiloen wooden homes in Chonchi. Their external walls are covered in wooden shingles in various shapes, or long wooden slats, and most facades are painted in vibrant colours.
Below the hilly streets is the town’s waterfront, where we found a typical Costanera, or promenade. It winds around the small bay, offering nice views of the town’s waterfront.
Overall, Conchi felt like a very peaceful, maritime town.
Getting to Chonchi
Chonchi is also easy to access by bus or car. Buses with the sign ‘Navarro’ on their windshield leave from Castro’s Bus Station every 10 min beginning at 7:30 am. It takes roughly 40 minutes.
Vilupulli Church
Only a couple of kilometres from Chonchi is the hamlet of Vilupulli and its very cute San Antonia de Padua de Vilupulli. Its design is similar to the one in Nercon, with an unpainted exterior, including its bell tower and portico. The church’s simple interior has a flat, teal ceiling, while the rest is painted white and yellow. It was the least decorated church of those we saw.
Vilupulli is a small collection of fishing homes rather than a village, but it has a fantastic setting. From its shore, we saw Corcovado Volcano, far away on the mainland. Looking the other way, we could see a small community belonging to Chonchi.
Getting to Vilupulli
The same bus that you take to get to Chonchi will drop you off at the entrance to the village, 1.2 km away. There are also taxis in Chonchi that will take you to the church, wait and return you to Chonchi.
The people in Chiloe are incredibly friendly. We had intended to walk from the bus stop to the church, but we had only taken a few steps on the gravel road when a local man offered us a ride. The same happened on our way back to the bus stop, except this family drove us all the way to Castro.
Church OPening Hours
While you are able to see all of the churches from the outside at any time of day, the interiors are very interesting and worth seeing. You can find a lot of information on opening hours, festival dates and the history of each church at the community’s website.
If you want to see more UNESCO World Heritage Churches, visit our post from Romania: Wooden Churches of Romania.
Getting around Chiloe
Because the churches are spread across the archipelago, getting to all 16 UNESCO churches involves a lot of travel. Even seeing the ones on the main Chiloe Island takes time because it is such a large island. Public buses allow you to travel between Castro and the communities of Nercon, Chonchi as well as Rilan and Dalcahue, which also have UNESCO churches. Some other churches can also be reached, but will involve one or more bus changes. To visit the remaining wooden churches, though, you would either need to have a car or take a tour. You can find bus schedules at the Castro bus station.
Where to stay and eat in Chiloe
Most accommodations are found in the larger towns of Castro and Ancud. Castro is more central, making it a better option, especially if you don’t have a car. Most restaurants are in Castro and Ancud, but larger communities like Chonchi also have a good selection of restaurants. If you have a car, you can stay in one of the smaller communities located on the islands.
Getting to Chiloe
The best access to Chiloe is from Puerto Montt. Queilen Buses frequently travel between Puerto Montt’s bus station and the archipelago, stopping in both Ancud and Castro. The bus even travels across the Canal de Chacao on a ferry so you don’t have to change buses (3 1/2 hours). Visit our Puerto Montt post here, for more information on travelling to it.
Castro, and the archipelago, are located in the lower half of the map below. It is an interactive map, so you can zoom-in, or click on a marker for a link to our post from that region.
Click on the link to read our Travel Tips For Chile.
To read more of our adventures in Chile, click here.
Coming Next – Top Activities in Pucon in Chile’s Lake District
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