It is a building designed by the French architect Eugenio Joannon for the use of the Hermanitas de los Pobres religious Congregation, which arrived in Chile in 1890. The land was donated by Mrs. Rosario Fernández Concha, with the exclusive requirement of being a nursing home. This is how in 1898 the construction of this monumental building began.
In its construction, a great constructive innovation was applied for the time, reinforced concrete slabs, transforming it into one of the first buildings to incorporate this characteristic, which made it successfully overcome the mega earthquake of 1906 and several others.
The property stands out as a unique prototype of architecture, due to its interior spaces and the proportions of its corridors. The beauty of its chapel in the central axis and the vast gardens and interior patios that were used for the relaxation of the elderly and the retreat of the nuns stand out. They even had a private cemetery, used to bury the deceased of the Congregation.
The ex-Asilo Hermanita de los Pobres fulfilled its charitable functions until the devastating earthquake of February 27, 2010, which forced its services to be transferred to another sector. In 2012 it was declared a National Monument and six years later, the Municipality of Santiago acquired the property and established services such as a community laundry, the “Griselda Hinojosa” Community Pharmacy and offices of the PRBIPE program.
In 2022, the Artesana Alicia Cáceres park was inaugurated in its extensive gardens, which share space with the innovative Latin American Children’s and Youth Interactive Library, BILIJ.
Carmen, 1200, Santiago.