Tuesday, April 15, - Day 120
Plaza de las Armas is the central square of Santiago. It used to be an army training ground, and this is where it gets its name.
The Catedral, sits on one corner of the Plaza, and it’s the 4th church built on this site. The first was built in 1541, the year the city was founded, and all three previous buildings were leveled by earthquakes. Construction on this building was started in 1748.
The church is very ornate, but not overdone, and there are a few prominant dead guys inside and a line of people waiting to confess their sins. There is a special alcove dedicated to Pope John Paul's last visit that is absolutely amazing. With actual worshipers inside, I decided against taking any pictures.
Inside the front door and to the left is a separate small sanctuary, and on its altar is a +/- 5 ft. statue of the Virgin Mary holding a baby Jesus. It's called the Virgin of Mount Carmen (the place in France where it came from) and was made in 1823. Mary and Jesus wear very ornate outfits, and crowns that were blessed by the Pope. The Pope then gave the crowns to the city 1936, making this statue the primary religious icon of the city. It's taken out and carried around the city in a procession once every year.
A couple days after I visited the church, a local homeless guy wandered in and set the statue on fire. The outfits and the crowns, were completely destroyed. About 80% of the original paint was burned off the statue, but most of the damage is said to be superficial. I stopped by today, and they now have a flag with a picture of the statue in it's place.
There are other similar statues of Carmen, and this picture came from the church in Pisco.
I wonder if this guy has any chance of getting into Heaven?
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