| The Plaza de Armas is the
epicentre of Santiago, both literally - it’s where all distances to the
rest of Chile are measured from - and symbolically. It was the first
public space laid out when the city was founded in 1541 and quickly became
the nucleus of Santiago’s administrative, commercial and social life.
This is where the young capital’s most important seats of power - the
law courts, the governor’s palace, and the cathedral - were built, and
where its markets, bullfights, festivals and other public activities took
place. Four and a half centuries on, this is still where the city’s
pulse beats loudest, and half an hour’s people-watching here makes for
perhaps the best introduction to Santiago. |
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| Standing on the northern
side of the square is the splendid Palacio de la Real Audiencia, an
immaculately preserved colonial building that today houses the Museo
Histórico Nacional (March-Dec Tues-Sun 10am-5.30pm; Jan & Feb
Tues-Sat 10am-5.30pm, Sun 10am-1.30pm; CH$500, free on Sun) where military
uniforms and suits of armour jostle for space with old furniture, sewing
machines and women’s clothes.
The west side of the square is dominated by the
grandiose bulk of the Cathedral (Mon-Sat 9am-7pm, Sun 9am-noon). A
combination of Neoclassical and Baroque styles, with its orderly columns
and pediment, and its ornate bell towers, the cathedral is the fifth
church to be built on this site - the first was burnt down by Indians just
months after it was built, and the others were destroyed by earthquakes in
1552, 1647 and 1730. Inside, take a look at the main altar, carved out of
marble and richly embellished with bronze and lapis lazuli.
Note also the intricately crafted silver frontal,
which was made by Bavarian Jesuits in the sixteenth century. You’ll find
more examples of the Jesuits’ exquisite silverwork in the Museo de
Arte Sagrado (Mon 10.30am-1.30pm & 3.30-6.30pm; free) tucked away
behind the main body of the cathedral, along with religious paintings,
sculpture and furniture. |