Detif, in Huilliche tongue means “Held” and it’s located on the far south of the Lemuy island. The location starts right in the “Mirador el Cortao” viewpoint, the narrowest part of the island. That’s where the name “held” is believed to be born, given that this stretch of land seems to “hold” the rest of the island. Until the ‘80s this area was separated from the rest of the island, for no more than 20 meters (65 feet) that were later joined artificially. From there, when the cliffs narrow, you can watch the sea from both sides of the path and get a panoramic view of the volcanoes: Michinmahuida, Corcovado, Chaitén and the town of Detif.
It is known that the year 1734, in Detif it had been established a town with a chapel, and the current construction of the Sántiago Apóstol church of Detif dates back to the early XIX century. The chapel of Detif presents the typical architecture of what has been called The Chilote School of Religious Architecture in Wood, that is to say, a tower-façade the porch with its traditional pillars and a vaulted central nave.
Coigüe and Alerce Wood was used for its construction. The church was built on a stone base to protect it against the humidity of the ground and covered by Alerce tiles. Given to the metal deficit in Chiloé, wooden rivets were used for thick work instead of iron nails. Its Patron Saint is the Virgin of Lourdes and its religious festival is celebrated on March 25th, which commemorates the arrival of Jesus of Nazareth to Detif.
Declared National Monument to the Supreme Decree N°222, dated August 10th 1999, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site on November 30th 2000 and Typical Zone to the “Surroundings of the Historic Monument of the Santiago Apóstol of Detif Church”, according to the Decree N° 316 dated August 4th 2015.
