The Votive Temple of Maipú (Spanish: Templo Votivo de Maipú) or Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Spanish: Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Carmen) is a Catholic church located in the Chilean town of Maipú. The height of this basilica is 300 feet tall (91 Meters). Its construction was ordered by Bernardo O'Higgins in 1818 as an act of thanksgiving to Our Lady of Mount Carmel for the intercession for the victory of the Chilean Army in the Battle of Maipú, where the Independence of Chile was assured. It is called votive because of the vows that O'Higgins made to the Virgin Mary.
Credit and thanks to Google Earth Studio for this amazing aerial footage.
Credit and thanks to Google Earth Studio for this amazing aerial footage.
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00:00The votive temple of Maipú, Spanish, Templo Votivo de Maipú, or Basilica of Our Lady
00:14of Mount Carmel, Spanish.
00:17Basilica de Nuestra Señora del Carmen, is a Catholic church located in the Chilean town
00:21of Maipú.
00:22The height of this basilica is 300 feet tall, 91 meters.
00:27Its construction was ordered by Bernardo O'Higgins in 1818 as an act of thanksgiving to Our Lady
00:32of Mount Carmel for the intercession for the victory of the Chilean army in the Battle
00:36of Maipú, where the independence of Chile was assured.
00:40It is called votive because of the vows that O'Higgins made to the Virgin Mary.
00:45After its construction was decreed on May 7, 1818.
00:48On November 15 the same year the first stone of the Victory Chapel or votive church of
00:53Maipú was laid and blessed.
00:55After 64 years of intermittent construction due to lack of resources.
00:59The old church was solemnly inaugurated.
01:02But in 1906, a violent earthquake made it necessary to rebuild the church.
01:07On December 8, 1942, the Marian Congress that was held in Santiago reached the sole agreement
01:13to build a great sanctuary in Maipú, on the grounds of the old Chapel of Victory to honor
01:17Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
01:19Thus, on July 16, 1948, the Archbishop of Santiago Monsignor José María Caro ordered
01:26the construction of the new building designed by Juan Martínez Gutiérrez.
01:31During the long years of the construction of the current church, Catholic groups such
01:34as Iglesia Joven, S. and Clandestina opposed it because they saw it as a luxury.
01:40Proposing to give the money invested in it to the poorest people both of the Archdiocese
01:44of Santiago and the rest of the country.
01:47The work was delayed due to lack of resources but finally on October 24, 1974, and thanks
01:52to the Fundación Nacional Voto O'Higgins, on which the church depends today.
01:57The votive temple of Maipú was solemnly inaugurated.
02:01Initially, the project was conceived to transform the site into a large mausoleum where the
02:05remains of the heroes of the homeland and the most notable Chileans would rest, similar
02:10to the Pantheon in Paris.
02:12But the church opposed this initiative and preferred to transform it into a shrine, dedicated
02:17exclusively to Catholic worship and the spiritual care of pilgrims.
02:21On November 23, 1974, the bishops of Chile, presided over by Cardinal Archbishop of Santiago,
02:28Monsignor Raúl Silva Henríquez, consecrated the church.
02:32On October 26, 1984 the church was declared a historical monument by Supreme Decree No.
02:39645.
02:40On January 27, 1987, the church was declared a basilica.
02:45The image of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, venerated in the church, is a wooden sculpture brought
02:50to Chile in 1785 by Martín de la Cuna for his oratory.
02:55The image was donated to the Cardinal Archbishop of Santiago, Monsignor José María Caro by
03:00Doña Rosalía Mújica de Gutiérrez, a descendant of Don Martín de la Cuna, in August 1945.
03:07On April 3, 1987, the image was crowned as Queen and Patroness of Chile by Pope John
03:13Paul II during his apostolic visit to Chile, ratifying the decree of Pope Pius XI in 1923
03:19that granted such distinction.
03:22Just below the bell tower of the temple, 63 meters high, there is a scenic viewpoint.
03:27The space was inaugurated on April 3, 2012, coinciding with the 25th anniversary of John
03:32Paul II's visit to Chile.
03:35With an area of 300 square meters, it offers a panoramic view of Santiago's southwest
03:40side.
03:41It can be accessed by elevator or by a staircase of 323 steps.
03:46The viewpoint has audio-visual equipment to display informative content to visitors.
03:51And inside is a compass rose that indicates the location of various Marian sanctuaries
03:55around the world.
03:57That is all.
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