Iglesia San Saturnino – Ornamentation

When entering the church, brightness stands out, due to both the work behind the stained glass windows and the colors used in them. Mainly, color palette is based on two shades enlightened with white paint: plush beige, used in walls and pillar pedestals, and light blue, used in nave ceilings with small golden stars, symbol of the heavens. Pillars are entirely painted and decorated with geometric and vegetal elements in a wide range of shades: cream, green and blue colors comprise the color palette. These bright colors complement the beautiful geometric mosaic on the floor, worked in ochre figures delineated in black on white background, generating a contrast between the sublime clarity of the sky and earthly floor.

Walls depict lovely vitreaux, framed in pointed arches, portraying different saints and devotional figures. Each window is divided into the representation of two figures. Facing the altar, left hand nave shows the following characters:

– Saint Jerome/Saint Joseph
– Saint Peter/Saint Paul
– Saint John/Saint Thomas
– Saint Matthew/Saint Bartholomew

Right hand nave portrays the following figures:

– Angels playing musical instruments
– Saint James the Less/Saint Philip
– Saint James the Great/Saint Andrew
– Saint Simon/Saint Judas

Apse has a 2-vitreaux set representing the main figures associated to this temple:

– Christ of Good Hope
– Saint Saturninus

Among its relics and imagery there is an image of Saint Saturninus, patron of the temple and protector of Santiago residents from tremors and earthquakes, dated back to 17th century and made out of Cusco wood; and a Christ of Good Hope given by the priest Hernán Domeyko Sotomayor in 1892.

There is also an organ made by Oreste Carlini in the 1920s, which is also an important heritage.