The Magic of Chiloe’s Religious Spaces. From Civic Calm to the Festival of Faith

Abstract

The churches of Chiloé have been the subject of multiple studies and publications. The religious festivals of the archipelago have also been studied, highlighting the cosmovision that inspires these celebrations. There is, however, an interregnum that has been addressed less frequently: the religious space that is shaped during the time when the festivities materialize.

The central objective of the work is to cover this field related to the transformation of the spaces close to the temples during the acts of faith. The results, which are achieved through a phenomenological and exploratory methodology, show that the power of a tangible heritage is identified, during religious festivals, with the churches that officiate as venues. In that same act, the intangible heritage is expressed in the ceremonial rites, in the customs, and in the culture of life and death.