Architects from Chile have solved the mystery of the oldest monument of Santiago's colonial culture in the country - the Church of St. Francis. Since the 16th century, the cathedral has survived many earthquakes and was not damaged. For many years, scientists have wondered what the secret of the seismic resistance of the temple is.
In the course of research, Chilean experts found that the walls of the cathedral, 1.7 meters thick, stand on stone balls, which just served as a kind of shock absorbers during earth shocks. In addition, excavations have found that the round stones themselves that hold the temple, in turn, are enclosed by walls. Thanks to this architectural idea, the Church of St. Francis withstood dozens of cataclysms, and most importantly survived the most destructive earthquake in the history of Chile in 1647, which had a magnitude of 8, Vesti reports.
Historians believe that the Spanish colonialists who came to Chile at that time could not have known about the seismic activity of the region in order to foresee such nuances in the construction of the church. Most likely, such an architectural solution belongs to the Picchun Indians, who were often involved in construction sites of those times.