Summary

As of 1808, the dizzying changes that take place in Spain and, then, in Chile, will bring deep ideological ruptures and definition of loyalties, in the middle of a spiral of verbal and physical violence that will pit monarchits against patriots. The Church and religión are intimately committed to these “vicissitudes”, with factions that will support one group or the other, and in a context where king and country are tainted with sacred or devilish connotations, depending on the ecclesiastic group that invokes them.
The Franciscan friars of “El Colegio de Propaganda Fide” in Chillán keep a steely monarchic position, sustained by the various actions, speeches and attitudes that are analysed in this article. The patriots’ victories of Chacabuco and Maipú do not intimidate this feeling and, even though part of the missionaries flees to Lima, others move south the Biobío river, going into hiding or overtly supporting the royalist guerrillas. The consolidation of the Republic, nevertheless, is inevitable, and the franciscan “godos” (royalists) of Chillán have to suffer the dramatic “vicissitude” of adapting to the new political and ecclesiastic reality of the country.