Overview
Set in Barrio República, this church is the second construction erected on the same site, in 1929.
The first Church of St. Lazarus was located on San Martín street, but the need to have a much larger space resulted in its being moved to its current location on Calle Ejército.
One of the most interesting items in this church is the Christ of the Trenches, a mutilated image of Christ with legs, arms and part of the body missing. The image, located in one of the side naves, was presumably found among the ruins of French cathedral after the First World War.
The church was declared a National Monument in 1992.
History
In April 1775, the then Bishop of Santiago, Manuel Alday, gave instructions to build the first Church of St. Lazarus on Calle de las Cenizas, now Calle San Martín. Ninety-five years later, the need for more space resulted in the church being moved to a plot of land on Ejército street. The new church was consecrated in 1877, but was completely destroyed by a fire in 1928.
The parishioners undertook to rebuild it and celebrated the festival of the patron saint on December 17, 1929 in the new building, still preserved to this day.
Architecture
The Church of Saint Lazarus has an imposing façade, with a central tower structured into three segments. In the middle tower are sculptures of four angels. Access to the inside of the church is by a main door with the effigy of Saint Lazarus. Highlighted in the central nave is the dome, decorated on the inside with frescoes depicting the annunciation, the birth, the death and resurrection of Christ. The high altar is made in marble and onyx, whereas the confessional booths are in black oak wood.
On one of the side altars is the Christ of the Trenches, which was brought from Europe. It is said that it was found among the ruins of a Cathedral in Reims, France, following the First World War. The image was found mutilated, with limbs and part of the abdomen missing.
Avenida Ejército Libertador, 415, Santiago.