Votive Church (Maipú)
The Votive Church of Maipú ( Spanish Templo Votivo de Maipú ) is a Roman Catholic church in Maipú in the south of Santiago de Chile , the capital of Chile . The Church of the Archdiocese of Santiago de Chile is under the invocation Lady of Mount Carmel of Our the Virgin Mary consecrated. The church bears the title of a minor basilica and a national catholic shrine . It was advertised as a votive church for the requested support in the Battle of Maipú in the Chilean War of Independence by Bernardo O'Higgins in 1818 and is a historical monument .
Victory Chapel
For victory in the decisive battle of the Chilean War of Independence, the Supreme Commander of the National Forces, Bernardo O'Higgins, promised Mary, the Mother of God, that a church would be built at the place of decision. Construction began in the same year, which then dragged on for 64 years due to a lack of resources. The church was solemnly consecrated in April 1892. But already in 1906 the violent earthquake in Valparaiso and later another earthquake made it necessary to rebuild the church. On December 8, 1942, the Marian Congress, held in Santiago, accepted the construction of a large sanctuary in Maipu on the site of the old Chapel of Victory in honor of the Virgin of Carmel as the only agreement of this meeting.
Votive Church
On July 16, 1948, the Archbishop of Santiago José María Caro ordered the construction of the new sanctuary as the driving force. The winner of the competition was the Chilean architect Juan Martínez as early as 1943. The government's plan for a mausoleum to worship national heroes, such as the Panthéon in Paris, was thwarted by the church as the owner of the donated land. The sanctuary is used exclusively for Catholic worship. To protect against earthquakes, the church was built using reinforced concrete. The work was again delayed for lack of resources, but was finally completed on October 24, 1974. On November 23 of the same year, the Bishops of Chile, presided over by Cardinal Archbishop of Santiago Raúl Silva Henríquez, consecrated the Church and declared it a national shrine. In 1984 the building was recognized as a historical cultural heritage . Pope John Paul II elevated the church to the rank of minor basilica in 1987 on his pastoral trip through South America. On January 17, 2018, Pope Francis visited the church.
architecture
The entrance tower of the church rises 90 meters high and is framed by the colonnades of the forecourt, with the walls of the old victory chapel between the open ends. The three-aisled radial building is entered through the up to eight meter high metal doors, in the center of which is the high altar with the statue of Mary. This is framed by the flags of the Latin American countries. In front of the altar area there is a curved transept, which closes with devotional altars on both sides. The convex roof with paraboloid shapes is designed with coffered ceilings. Multi-colored glass mosaics illuminate the interior above the entrance area.
Lookout point
In 2011, the construction of a lookout point in the central tower at a height of 63 meters was started. A capacity for 300 people was created on an area of 700 square meters, where exhibitions are also held. On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of John Paul II's visit to Chile, the lookout point was inaugurated on April 3, 2012 in the presence of the Mayoress of Santiago, Cecilia Pérez, and the Archbishop of Santiago, Ricardo Ezzati Andrello . It can be reached via an elevator or 323 steps. A compass rose shows the locations of various Marian shrines around the world.
Portrait of Mary
The image of Our Lady of Carmel is in the center of the main altar of the church. The carved wooden statue with a dress comes from the Quito school and was brought to the church of San Agustín by Martin de Lecuna in Chile for his oratorio in 1785. It was carried through the streets of central Santiago in traditional processions, in which Bernardo O'Higgins also took part. The image was donated by Mrs. Rosalía Mujica de Gutiérrez, descendant of Don Martin de Lecuna, in August 1945. The figure of Mary traveled through Chile as a “pilgrim virgin” in 1948 and was then placed in the church that was still under construction. This image was crowned Queen and Patroness of Chile on the morning of April 3, 1987 by Pope John Paul II . The image also received the coronation as Patrona de Zona Oeste of Santiago de Chile by Cardinal Francisco Javier Errázuriz Ossa in 2007. On November 30, 2010, she was officially confirmed as Patron of the Chilean Army and received the scarlet Terciado and the Great Cross with the Degree General from the hands of the Army Commander in Chief, General Juan Miguel Fuente-Alba.
Web links
- National Shrine website (Spanish)
- Maipu Votive Temple (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ Basilica de Nuestra Señora del Carmen, Santuario Nacional de Maipú on gcatholic.org
- ↑ History of the National Shrine (Spanish)
- ↑ Supreme Decree No. 645 of October 26, 1984
- ↑ How I experienced the meeting of the Pope with the youth in Maipu. schoenstatt.org, January 27, 2018, accessed on February 5, 2019 .
- ↑ Architecture of the Votive Church (Spanish)
Coordinates: 33 ° 30 ′ 38.8 ″ S , 70 ° 45 ′ 57.8 ″ W.