The city of Castro was founded in February 1567 by Martin Ruiz de Gamboa son of Rodrigo de Quiroga (governor of the Kingdom of Chile), which entrusted the mission of founding a city in the archipelago of Chiloe, naming it Santiago de Castro. That same year he built a temple with the name of St. James, which would be used for the evangelization of the indigenous people of Chiloé. This site would be burned and rebuilt several times until its final destruction in 1771, later used as a parish by the Jesuits, where the Franciscans were established from the colleges of Chillán in 1768 and in Peru in 1711 Ocopa.

On one side of the Plaza de Castro Temple stands the current San Francisco. Its construction was led by Father Angel Subiabre by the convent at that time from 1910 to 1912.

The design is the work of Italian architect Eduardo Provasoli, and has the typical appearance of the Chiloé churches, but a neo-Gothic design. The original plan contemplated towers pictures, but the idea was abandoned after a storm knocked down some. The temple was made by carpenters led by Salvador Sierpe Chiloé.

In the structures of the area occupied woods such as larch, cypress Guaitecas, coigüe and other native woods. The interiors are raulí (imported from the mainland) and olivillo, but instead the facade, the roof and outer linings are of galvanized iron.

Inside is a picture of the archangel Michael victorious over Satan, of St. Alberto Hurtado and a replica of the image of "the Nazarene" found in the church of Caguach.

This temple was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1979 and a World Heritage Site to UNESCO on 30 November 2000.

Fuente: http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iglesia_de_Castro