http://www.departamentosdelsur.com

There are more than 150 churches and chapels on Chiloé. The first ones were made entirely froom wood as the parts were connected by wooden dowels instead of nails. The eldest churches of Chiloé are together with some churches in the United States, Germany and scandinavian countries among the few examples in the world of wooden architecture of the XVIII century.

During the centuries the formal archetype remained the same, but nowadays it perishes and many of the new chapels have just a few or any of the initial elements. This archetype consisted of two main elements: the explanade or the outer court and the church. In the middle of the XIXth century the cementery was added, which did not have a definite position towards the rest of the elements. Furthermore, the "Casemita" or the house of the hermit made for the respective missionary was added which does not have a definite position, either.