San Sebastián de Purranque and its renovation after the fire

In February 2016, a fire attacked this parish located in the Los Lagos region, at the gates of Chilean Patagonia, after which it was rebuilt by the San Sebastián de Purranque Foundation, the name of the temple.

The destruction of its interior was complete, so GRANDA was in charge of the design and execution of the entire endowment of the temple, daily chapel and sacristy, from the interior architecture, images and ornaments to the furniture and liturgical objects.

The main nave is presided, behind the altar, by a monumental relief in which the Last Supper is represented, of greater proportion to the natural one, carved in beech wood and polychrome. On both sides of the presbytery there are images of Saint Alberto Hurtado, Chilean Jesuit priest, and of the Virgin and Child. This is a rare representation, in which the Child holds a chalice in his hand, an iconographic prefiguration of his Sacrifice. In this case, the chalice is not carved, but made of metal and fixed to the sculpture.

In the daily chapel, its wood paneling seeks to create a warm and inviting atmosphere. In its decorative simplicity, the image of Christ on the cross, flanked by a carving of Saint Sebastian, patron saint of the parish, and the expository tabernacle stand out.

Although the elements arrived in Chile in early 2020, the situation caused by the global pandemic delayed their installation. Finally, in November 2022, a GRANDA team moved to Purranque to install the elements. "It was an intense and complex job, as it meant carrying heavy elements, leveling the floor and walls," assembling the benches and adjusting the reliefs and carvings to their spaces, all in a limited time.

For GRANDA it is an honor to have participated in the recovery of this temple and a great joy to have collaborated so closely with its community.

More information on this and other projects can be found in the special projects section of our website.