The earthquake that shook the Peruvian region of Junín on Saturday night caused the collapse of a large part of the Apóstol Santiago parish in the district of Chongos Bajo, destroyed several viceregal altars and toppled the historic Cruz de Cani, erected in 1534. The provisional toll of the quake stands at six dead, 21 injured and hundreds affected.
While the bishops of Peru have expressed their closeness to the victims and assured their prayers for those affected, the parish priest of the church has requested urgent help to rebuild a church whose restoration could exceed seven million soles.
The parish priest: «The image of the Virgin remains intact»
According to ACI Prensa, the parish priest of the church, Fr. Henry Díaz, showed from inside the church the extent of the damage caused by the quake and highlighted a fact that has caught the attention of the faithful: the image of the Virgin remained intact despite the collapse of much of the building.
«A large part of the nave of the church has collapsed. The image of the Virgin intact. Here you can see everything with large cracks and the tiles that have come loose. The main altar, with the rubble, collapsed», the priest recounted.
The presbyter also explained that the earthquake has caused serious damage to the church’s historical heritage. «The altars, which are viceregal, have been damaged. Very damaged. It seems that the church tower is slightly leaning backwards and to the right», he added.
The priest requested support from the Ministry of Culture and from the authorities who have been deployed to the area to carry out the reconstruction of the church. According to his initial estimates, the restoration could exceed seven million soles and last approximately one year.
The historic Cruz de Cani also fell
The earthquake also caused the collapse of the Cruz de Cani —also known as Señor de Cani Cruz—, located in the main square of Chongos Bajo. Erected in 1534, it is one of the oldest religious monuments in the Andean region of Junín and forms part of the historical and devotional heritage of the locality.
The bishops of Peru pray for the victims
After learning the magnitude of the tragedy, the bishops of Peru expressed their solidarity with the affected families and offered their prayers for the deceased, the injured and all those who have suffered the consequences of the earthquake.
The quake, of magnitude 5.1, was recorded at 21:24 hours on Saturday and had its epicenter in the district of Chongos Bajo, in the province of Chupaca, about 300 kilometers east of Lima, according to the Geophysical Institute of Peru (IGP). The National Institute of Civil Defense (Indeci) attributed the severity of the damage to the shallow depth of the movement —24 kilometers— and to the vulnerability of numerous homes built with adobe and quincha.