Iglesia de la Vera Cruz

The Iglesia de la Vera Cruz (Church of the True Cross) was established in the Barrio Lastarria of Santiago, Chile, in 1852. The founders intended it to be a memorial church for Pedro de Valdivia, a Spanish conquistador believed to have lived there. De Valdivia founded Santiago, Chile, in 1541, and served as the country’s first Royal Governor. Although scholars could not confirm the location of his residence in Santiago, the Church was considered symbolic of his arrival and residence in Chile.

French architect Claude-François Brunet des Baines designed Iglesia de la Vera Cruz.  Fermin Vivaceta completed it in 1857 following Brunet des Baines’ death.  Neoclassical in style, the small Church has a single nave, a bright red façade, and a belfry with two bells. 

It is named “Church of the True Cross” because it holds a relic believed to be a piece of the cross on which Jesus was crucified.  The relic was gifted to the Catholic Church by King Charles V of Spain in the 1500’s.  The Chile Ministry of Education declared the Church and its parish house a National Monument in 1983. 

In 2019, social unrest and civil protests known as the “Social Outburst” rocked the city of Santiago.   On November 12, 2019, arsonists and vandals directly related to the protests severely damaged city churches, including Iglesia de la Vera Cruz.  A hooded individual allegedly threw an accelerant at the Church’s main doors.   The conflagration destroyed the Church’s roof and heavily damaged the interior.  During the same protests, the neighboring Church of the Assumption was looted and burned to the ground.   No one was ever arrested or charged for the acts of arson and vandalism.     

After the fire, officials covered the Church doors and windows with sheet metal and painted over the exterior graffiti.  The Church remained closed and boarded up for several years.   Upon reopening, the parish decided to leave the interior damage exposed and visible as a reminder of the destructive event.  The walls and ceiling remain heavily blackened and charred, and some ornamentation shows damage.  The building continues to function as a church and cultural space, and its severely scarred interior remains a symbol of Chilean self-determination.