Church of Detif and Church of Chonchi

Scenic road chapters

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Church of Detif

   Of all the islands of the Chiloé archipelago, Lemuy is one of the quietest, and the church at Detif, at its far eastern end, stands almost alone on a grassy slope above the sea, with a few houses scattered around and the islands of the inner sea on the horizon. It is one of the sixteen wooden Churches of Chiloé listed as a World Heritage site, built in the late nineteenth century of native wood, with a simple façade, an arcade at the front and a tower rising above the entrance. The interior is equally simple and beautiful, and the church is cared for by the local community, which still uses it for services and festivals, such as the feast of its patron saint.

   Read the complete Church of Detif write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Church of Detif is where the day begins. Next is Church of Aldachildo.

2. 2. Church of Aldachildo

   Aldachildo is another of the small wooden churches on Lemuy, and it asks you to think about how the Chilote churches were actually used. They were not built for tourists, or even mainly for Sundays. When Jesuit missionaries began to organise the islands in the seventeenth century, they did not have enough priests to be everywhere. So they trained local laymen to look after chapels, lead prayers and baptise, and the missionaries themselves sailed round the circuit once a year, on a kind of pilgrimage that the communities still remember with an annual festival. After the Jesuits were expelled in the eighteenth century, those lay guardians kept the system alive.

   Read the complete Church of Aldachildo write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Church of Aldachildo comes up about 18 km into the recorded legs. Next is Church of Chonchi.

3. 3. Church of Chonchi

   Chonchi is a small port town on the east coast of Chiloe, built on a steep hillside above the channel, and locals sometimes call it the city of three floors, because its streets climb in terraces from the waterfront to the plaza and the church above. The church of San Carlos de Borromeo, painted in warm yellow and red and crowned with a tall tower, was built in the nineteenth century, in the typical style of the island, and it dominates the square. Inside, it has the characteristic wooden columns and a ceiling like the hull of a ship, and the interior smells of old timber and wax.

   Read the complete Church of Chonchi write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   about 42 km into the recorded legs you reach Church of Chonchi. Next is back through Church of Aldachildo.

4. 4. back through Church of Aldachildo

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Church of Aldachildo write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   back through Church of Aldachildo, late in the day. Next is Church of Detif.

5. 5. Church of Detif

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Church of Detif write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Back at Church of Detif. That is the ride.