Wooden churches of Chiloé

Iglesia de San Juan Bautista de San Juan de Coquihuil and San Juan's shipyard.

Church of Quinchao

Iglesia Santa María in Achao

Church of Nercón 

Iglesia de Vilupulli

Iglesia de San Carlos Borromeo, Chonchi

At least 150 wooden churches once stood on the Chiloé archipelago, a group of islands off the coast of central Chile. The first missionaries to evangelize the local population were the Mercedarians, and between 1608 and 1767 the Jesuits organized a system of itinerant missions that traveled once a year for eight months, building new chapels in different locations. The churches were situated along the coast to guide sailors around the contours of the island, and were protected by northern mountains, with a south-facing entrance sheltered from the rain.

All were constructed by local craftsmen using the techniques used by shipbuilders, who built them entirely of wood —even the fasteners and other typically metal components—due to its abundance in the region. Their main characteristic is the symmetrical tower-façade and arched entrance. Today, only sixty corresponding to the Chiloe school typology remain and sixteen of them were designated World Heritage sites by UNESCO in 2000.

Chiloé, Chile, January 2015.