Templo Votivo de Maipu
Basilica raised over a century to fulfil a wartime vow, its tower rebuilt after two earthquakes.
Location
About this audio guide
This guide to the Templo Votivo de Maipu in Santiago traces a wartime bargain struck before the Battle of Maipu on April 5, 1818, when the commanders of the Army of the Andes promised the Virgin del Carmen a sanctuary on this ground if she carried them to victory. Bernardo O'Higgins ordered construction to begin within a month of the battle, and the first stone went down before the year was out. Money for the young nation soon ran out, leaving only a modest chapel for decades.
This audio guide was created using AI.
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