Carole Critchlow, Leticia Rodriguez

CEE 33X, Prof. Kunz

5 de mayo, 2005

Query #4

 

La Catedral de Santiago, Plaza de Armas

 

1.        Photo

Caption

 

La Catedral de Santiago, a historical symbol of Catholicism brought over by Spain during colonialism, still stands today on its own corner of Plaza de Armas.  Such plazas were traditional in Spanish colonies, and were always anchored by a grand cathedral; this plaza is no exception. The Santiago cathedral is not the most extraordinary or aesthetically pleasing one in the world, but it is still majestic and proud. And though it is no longer the tallest or most impressive building in the area, la Catedral de Santiago remains an orientation and influence in the plaza and in Chilean life.  The two towers have had to be restored several times after suffering structural damage from various earthquakes throughout the years.  And yet the building still stands much as it did in the 1500s when it was first constructed.

 

 

2.        Sketches

(Carole Critchlow)

 

(Leticia Rodriguez)

Shown here amid the bustling daytime crowd in Santiago’s Plaza de Armas, la Catedral de Santiago stands distinguished as the cornerstone of the plaza. These plazas were traditional in Spanish colonies, and were always anchored by a grand cathedral; this plaza is no exception. The Santiago cathedral, though not the most extraordinary in the world, is still majestic and proud. And though it is no longer the tallest or most impressive building in the area, la Catedral de Santiago remains an orientation and influence in the plaza and in Chilean life.

 

 

3.        Formal symbolic model

Functions

 

·                Display power

·                Symbolism

·                Place of prayer

·                Neoclassical style

Forms

 

·        Classic columns

·        Arches

·        Twin spires

·        Ornate sculptures, decorations

Behaviors

 

·         People staring in contemplation and prayer

·         People talking

·         Tourists taking photos

·         Students on field trips

·         Current construction makes it noisy

 

The forms of the arches and classic columns are a reflection of the functional intent to create the cathedral in a neoclassical style.  The ornate sculptures and decorations are traditionally found in places of prayer.  The impressiveness of the forms of twin spires and sculptures add to the powerful display of this cathedral, and motivates people to visit as religious followers, tourists and students.  (Further comments on relationships are discussed below).

 

4.        Pluses/Deltas on Behaviors

·       People staring in contemplation and prayer +

o       We liked the fact that people were taking time to think about what was in front of them and kneeling in prayer.  The interior of the building does not have particularly marvelous architecture or paintings, but the walls are still covered with symbols of Catholicism. The foot stools and pews inside the cathedral provide a comfortable place for people to pray.

·       People talking D

o       We were upset that some people were sitting on the pews talking to each other.  The function of the pews is not for people to sit and talk to one another.  That can be done outside the church.

·        Tourists taking photos +/D

o       Tourists taking photos is a reflection of their liking of the forms of the building, and they were not disturbing mass at the time.  This marks the cathedral as a tourist attraction which is a compliment for the building.  However, the tourists were a distraction to the people who were praying because their flash photography was all over the place (and they were talking to each other).

·        Students on fieldtrips +/D

o       Again this is beneficial in the sense that it makes the students focus on the architecture and significance of the cathedral, as opposed to attending a religious service there.  The students had notepads and pencils in their hands, showing the educational intent of their being there.  However, this is again distracting for people trying to pray.

·        Construction makes it noisy D

o       The construction made it almost impossible to concentrate or pray in the cathedral.  The drilling was extremely loud and produced a chemical odor throughout the cathedral.

 

5.        Architectural critic review

            During the period of Spanish colonization, cities in the New World were constructed according to Spain’s Laws of the Indies. According to this decree, cities were constructed around a central Plaza de Armas, a public square that earned its name as the gathering place for the city’s military. Lining the square were the important public edifices: royal courts, municipal buildings, residences of local civic officers, and of course, a Catholic cathedral. Though all of Latin America has since established its independence from the Spanish monarchy, and many of the buildings in the Plaza de Armas have since modified their form or function, the Plaza remains an important central location in many cities, and is still anchored by a grand cathedral.

            Santiago’s Plaza de Armas is no exception. Founded in the 16th century as a small colonial town, the city has now grown to be one of South America’s largest, and its Plaza still marks the city center, with the official city cathedral still sitting prominently on one axis. Due to its precarious location in an earthquake zone, none of the original buildings from the Plaza remain standing today, but many of the current incarnations remain quite true to the original design. The cathedral is no exception; in fact, there were several churches built in its exact spot that were all destroyed by either earthquakes or fires. The current cathedral was begun in 1748, and was not finally finished until well into the 19th century. Now, earthquake-proof and slightly bigger than the original building, the cathedral remains a success in an architecturally diverse city.

            Despite the more than 400 years since the Plaza was originally built, it maintains its importance as a civic center. Further, though church and state have been separated in Chile and Catholicism is no longer the official religion, the cathedral has maintained its importance as a cornerstone of the Plaza and a cultural landmark for many. The cathedral has grown just enough with the times, slightly increasing its size and equipping itself for a potential earthquake. Other than these changes, it is stylistically true to its roots – it proudly recalls the European influence that brought it here. And, though it is certainly grand and still the focal point of the plaza, the design is respectful rather than imposing. It is distinguished to the appropriate, obligatory level, and manages this without being overly self-important (though this seems obvious, it is not true of all churches). Though there are certainly grander and more majestic cathedrals in the world, la catedral de Santiago does what it needs to do to fulfill its role, and does so well.

 

6.        Personal vignette

When we went to visit the cathedral, we were hoping to be able to go inside, sit back, and quietly observe, perhaps even engage in a little prayer. However, when we entered the building, we were surprised at the high level of noise from the construction being done for the renovation, and our noses were struck by a strong chemical odor. It rudely interrupted the desired peaceful environment and made it extremely hard to concentrate, observe, or pray.

 

7.        Theoretical Interpretation: Rybczynski City

            The Cathedral is situated on the Plaza de Armas at the center of Santiago.  According to Rybczynski’s analysis, this is characteristic of a “practical” city (43).  Rybczynski’s discussion of the Law of the Indies and the Spanish colonial style town with a “standardized grid plan” (44) is directly seen in Plaza de Armas.  He states that “The main public area in these towns was a large central plaza surrounded by the chief colonizing institutions: the royal council, the town hall, and the main church” (44).  Plaza de Armas follows this pattern as it once contained the government buildings and the cathedral.  And as Rybczynski says, a practical city is constantly changing, which is reflected here.  Though the cathedral still stands in the same place today, the royal council and town hall are no longer there and instead are now the correo central and the museo historico nacional.

 

8.        Theoretical Interpretation: Alexander patterns

 

9.      Grounded theory

·        Questions for the interviews:

1.      Have you ever gone to the cathedral?  Did you go inside?  Have you attended mass?

2.      What were your experiences like?

3.      Do you think this building is symbolic or influential for Chile?

·        Interview 1 (50 year old female)

1.      Yes, I’ve been to the cathedral, I pass by there once in a while and have been to a few masses. 

2.      I find it beautiful, gorgeous, antiguo, colonial, typical of the era for Latin American countries.  They maintain it very well, with much care.  It is the ‘mother church’ of Chile.  They do important masses there, important political events, and events that are big or on a national scale. 

3.      But I don’t feel like the cathedral has a particular symbolism for Chile or particular value; it’s not important in the everyday lives of the Chilean people.

·        Interview 2 (30 year old male)

1.      Yes I have been, both to see it as well as to attend Mass.

2.      I find it beautiful but also somewhat cold; there are more beautiful ones out there.

3.      Yes, I believe it has symbolic value for Chile and for its people – it signifies the power of the church, and its own conflicts, by which I mean the types of Christian within it.

4.      Other comments: Two big things have happened at the cathedral very recently, just this year: first, something very sad that affected the whole country. A priest was murdered. One day after the priest gave mass, a young man approached him, and killed him with a knife. They think that the young man was from a Satanic sect. Whether you’re Catholic or not, it was an assassination, and it was a horrible event to have happen, especially inside a church. It was a very sad event for the whole society. And the second event: while they were doing renovations inside the church they came across a mummified body, that of Diego Portales. He was an important political figure in Chile in the late 1800s. His body had been missing until now, but it was thought that he might be buried somewhere inside the church.

·        Interview 3 (40 year old female)

1.      I have gone to visit it, usually with other people.  I have not attended mass because I am not Catholic.  There are various reasons why I have gone but they are strange reasons.  I wanted to see the structural reparation because the cathedral has problems from earthquakes.  Also to see the statue of St. Teresa de los Andes, who is the only Chilean saint. […] I do it because I need to know for me and for my students.  It matters to me that I know Chile even though I am not Catholic.  I also went to the cathedral when there was Peruvian immigration and I wanted to see the effect.  They were lined up along the cathedral looking for work.  I wanted to see if they went in for mass, as a sociological experiment.  I also go almost always taking people

2.      I forgot to mention, I go to the cathedral when I can’t stand the noise anymore.  To me going into the cathedral is a place of peace and quiet.  This is not one of my favorite cathedrals.  I don’t find it particularly aesthetically pleasant.  My favorite part of the cathedral by far is the floor.

3.      Many important events happen there, as in many countries that are majority Christian.  I don’t know a lot of people who go there on purpose.  It’s not an icon.  People from the outskirts of Santiago don’t come to visit it as they would in Mexico City.  We don’t have anything in it.  It’s not particularly big, fancy, or impressive.  Unlike some cathedrals, this one isn’t even gilded.  I may exaggerate but I think the cathedral is more important to the Peruvians than to Chileans because of the job market reason.  Except for major events, like when the former Pope died or when Cardinals die.  I suspect the Moneda Palace is more visited than the cathedral but if it wouldn’t have been bombed it wouldn’t be so.  We basically don’t have impressive buildings.  The Church of San Francisco is more historic, more impressive architecturally.  It’s unique, it’s older, it’s been restored rather than rebuilt, but the cathedral is the largest.

 

Coding

·        Ambiguity of cathedral’s symbolism

·        Cathedral as host for major events

·        Affect of religious beliefs

·        Influence in Catholic community

·        Architectural style of Cathedral

 

Memos

·        The first and second interviews were fairly short; the interviewees were agreeable and answered the questions but were not overflowing with things to say. The second did share the two extra comments though of events that happened there recently. Both were conducted in Spanish and so the transcripts are not exact, but hit all the main ideas.

·        The third interview was quite lengthy in terms of time.  The interviewee had a lot of information and strong views about the architectural style of the Cathedral.  The interview began in Spanish and ended in English.