Santo Domingo Church

On your right stands the Church of Santo Domingo, founded by the Dominican Order—the third religious order to arrive in Chile after the Order of Mercy and the Franciscans. Building a church in Chile is one thing, but getting it to survive the country’s relentless earthquakes is something else. The first chapel was built back in 1557… and didn’t last long. Then came a colonial-style structure with stone walls and a wooden roof, which soon met the same fate. The third version was made of brick, but yet another earthquake brought it down. The fourth—and finally successful—version began construction in 1747, with Portuguese builders leading the work. It still stands today, remarkably unshaken by every earthquake since. If you step inside, you’ll find the sanctuary of Our Lady of the Rosary, also known as the Virgin of Pompeii. The convent next door remains active, housing Dominican friars and the student body of the Vicariate, where theology is still taught to this day. The church is now listed as a national historic monument.