Minor Basilica of Santa Ana . Catholic church located in the city of Rengo . It was designed by the French architect Eugenio Joannon Croizer, who was hired by the Chilean government to carry out important works in the country. It belongs to the Diocese of Rancagua, being administered by the Congregation of the Augustinians of the Assumption.
Summary
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- 1 Location
- 2 History
- 3 Arquitectura
- 4 See also
- 5 Sources
Location
Located in Plaza de Armas s/n, Rengo, province of Cachapoal , region of Liberator General Bernardo O’Higgins , Chile .
History
early temples
The parish temples in the sector that currently constitutes the city of Rengo date from the colonial period of Chile, during the 17th and 19th centuries , in which Franciscan and Benedictine religious erected temples , chapels , convents and oratories in various places in the sector that today constitutes the Region of Libertador General Bernardo O’Higgins.
In 1730 a Chapel was built in Rengo in the Rinconada de los Morales sector, currently El Ciprés avenue in the Rinconada de Malambo sector, at the initiative of Pbro. Diego Jose Marin. The chapel was a simple rectangular construction of adobe , with a reed roof , later reinforced with hawthorn wood pillars, and its rustic roof was replaced by one of tiles .. Later, as “Vice Parish Priest of the Claro River”, Fr. Ignacio Espejo proposes to build a better quality temple in the same place, which was called primarily “Church of Río Claro” and later “Church of Santa Ana”. Some historians suggest that the name comes from the Marian devotion of Espejo, while others suggest that it is due to the name that the sector received at that time, which was “Caseríos de Santa Ana”.
The church was founded on October 4, 1792 by Bishop Blas Sobrino y Minay, with the name of Santa Ana de Río Claro, dismembering it from Guacarhue .
In 1848 , on the basis of the rustic Church of Santa Ana, the first stone temple was built, a building whose ruins still exist today, on the south side of the Rengo Catholic Cemetery, and which is used as a mausoleum.
In 1856 a great fire completely destroyed the Santa Ana parish building, saving only a wooden carving of Christ and the book of burial records. Despite this, masses continue to be celebrated in an improvised oratory located in the ruins of the temple, partially repaired.
In 1858 , the Pbro assumes the direction of the Parish. José Dolores Ginouvés, who begins to arouse concern about building a new temple, in a location closer to the “Main Road of Río Claro”, because, in this sector, where Rengo’s Plaza de Armas has been located since then, Most of the residential and commercial buildings of the town were located.
current temple
Despite the efforts of Ginovés, it would not be until 1877 , with the arrival of Fr. Tristán Solís, who would assume as parish priest in 1878 , that the project of the new and current temple of Santa Ana de Rengo would begin to materialize. Obtains the donation of a piece of land adjoining the west block of the Plaza de Armas de Rengo, by Farmer Valentín Díaz de Valdés, and which constitutes the current location of the Basilica, between the axes formed by the current José de San Martín avenues , Bisquertt and Bernardo O’Higgins.
The president of Chile at the time, José Manuel Balmaceda , hired the French architect Eugenio Joannon Crozier (who had collaborated with Paul Blondel), to develop multiple projects throughout the country, among these projects was the design of this new temple. In 1882 the works began, which were slow due to lack of funds and the works lasted 12 years, being inaugurated in 1894 .
The strong earthquake of 1906 left serious damage to its general structure. It is quickly repaired with iron tensioners, rails and other elements of the time.
The 1985 earthquake caused a partial collapse. Due to this destruction, which mainly affected the roof of the temple, it was decided to close the building as well as the collapse of the façade and part of the bell tower due to the risk it implied for passers-by. During this prolonged period of closure, religious services were held in the parish house adjacent to the collapsed church.
In 1991 , the reconstruction works began, which included the reinforcement of the original construction, and the incorporation of an aseismic roof (work of the architect Raúl Irarrázabal) which ended on September 28, 1996 , in which the solemn consecration of the Temple of Santa Ana de Rengo. Likewise, on May 6, 1997, Pope John Paul II granted it the title of Minor Basilica.
The earthquake of February 27, 2010 partially damaged the Temple. Some exterior cornices, but importantly its interior, especially the skylight of the altar, the lateral cornice and its interior decorations, the capitals attached to the pilasters of the interior pillars and the plasterwork of the interior arches, its restoration being complex due to its height and various decorations. With the efforts of institutions, communities and various individuals, its restoration was achieved, holding the Bicentennial Tedeum on September 18 .
The Fiesta de Santa Ana is celebrated every July 26 with a religious ceremony to venerate the patron saint.
Architecture
Currently the Basilica has a pointed floor of 1,050 m, with a capacity for around two thousand people, sitting and standing. It has three naves in the shape of a Latin cross, the central one being the widest, which has a transept ending in the dome where the altar is located .
The internal construction presents masonry works only in the columns, of Romanesque type, in accordance with the general architectural style that is of this type. The front of the temple also has simple masonry work. In turn, the demolished original bell tower was replaced by a metal structure .
In its beginnings, the temple was decorated with altars, images and liturgical ornaments from France, acquired with the funds collected from the inhabitants of the city. The wooden carving of Christ rescued from the fire of 1856 in the old Camino Real temple was also installed in this, thus symbolizing that this temple was the repository of the legacy of the old colonial temple. However, as a result of the 1906 earthquake, the relic was crushed by a wall and was lost.
Currently, the temple has numerous relics and paintings in its heritage, among which the portrait of San Alberto Hurtado Cruchaga stands out.
