San Marcos Cathedral
An iron church in Arica shipped out in pieces in 1876, from the workshop of Gustave Eiffel.
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San Marcos de Arica is built of iron. It was prefabricated in France in the workshop of Gustave Eiffel, shipped in sections and assembled here in 1876, when Arica was still Peruvian and the town needed a church after earthquakes and the tsunami of 1868 destroyed what stood before - iron being chosen precisely because it would survive the next one. The structure is bolted plate and cast iron throughout, painted, with a gothic idiom rendered in metal. Eiffel's workshop produced several prefabricated buildings for South America in this period, and Arica has another, the former customs house on the shore.
What you actually see
- A church built of iron - prefabricated in France and bolted together.
- Assembled in 1876 - when Arica was still Peruvian.
- Built to survive earthquakes - after the 1868 quake and tsunami.
- Another Eiffel building nearby - the old customs house on the shore.
When to go
Year round. An hour.
Honest expectations
It is small and takes twenty minutes. Opening hours follow the parish schedule and services take precedence. The plaza around it is busy. The Eiffel attribution is to his workshop's output, which is how such buildings were produced.
Nearby
The Morro rises above the city; the customs house is on the shore.
What to pack for San Marcos Cathedral
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.