Overview
Set in the southern part of the Santiago commune, this church is inspired on the Sacred Heart Basilica in Paris, and was built in the second decade of the XX century.
Sacramentinos arrived in Chile thanks to María Lecaros de Marchant, who began procedures to enable this religious order to become established in our country, an initiative that came true in 1908. Construction of the church began in 1912 and was completed in 1919.
Because of the depopulation of the sector, in 1972 the Sacramentinos lost their convent patio, where an entertainment park known as Juegos Diana was built.
In Neoromanic style with a marked Byzantine influence, this church has a reinforced concrete structure that allowed the construction of a 1,500 m2 crypt and a central dome located over the altar. The ensemble consists of two temples, each with three naves.
Plaza Bernardo Leighton, facing this church and known as Plaza de Los Sacramentinos, was one of the locations used in the successful Chilean film “Una Mujer Fantastica”, winner of the 2018 Oscar in the Best Foreign Film category, directed by Sebastián Lelio and starring by Daniela Vega.
Basílica del Santísimo Sacramento it was declared a National Monument in 1991.
History
The Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament built their first church in Paris, the Church of the Sacre Coeur, a construction that became a precedent for authentic religious palaces in other countries such as Argentina and Chile.
María Lecaros de Marchant, a Chilean lady who by chance read a journal by the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament of Argentina, began procedures to enable this congregation to become established in Santiago. This initiative bore fruit in 1908, when the Congregation settled in what is now the Almagro Park.
Construction of the church began in 1912 and was completed in 1919.
Because of the depopulation of the sector, in 1972 the Sacramentinos lost their convent patio, where an entertainment park known as Juegos Diana was built.
The earthquake of 1985 not only tore down the Great Cross, but also brought down some parts of the roofing. In 1986, the idea arose to restore it with the free work offered by a building company and funds from a German institution; this project became a reality in 1988.
Architecture
In romantic style with a marked Byzantine influence, this church has a reinforced concrete structure that allowed the construction of a 1,500 m2 crypt and a central dome located over the altar.
The ensemble consists of two temples, each with three naves. The first is crypt shaped and located in the base of the building, and is lit by high windows. The second, upper church stands 1.80 meters above the sidewalk level.
The church displays stained-glass windows commissioned from France, while the high altar was made in Argentina. The parquet flooring, the pulpit, the confessional booths and the choir chairs are all Chilean made, carved in lingue wood at the workshops of the Salesian Fathers.
The bronze doors were made by Chilean craftsmen. Over the lintel there is an inscription in a dead language that reads: “I have chosen this place so that my heart may remain here”.
Santa Isabel, 1127, Santiago.