Type Jesuit, Catholic Gender Coeducational Affiliation FLACSI | Grades K through secondary Enrollment 1,000 | |
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Established 1859; 158 years ago (1859) | ||
St. Francis Xavier College, Puerto Montt, Chile, is a Catholic school founded by the Society of Jesus in 1859. It is part of the Ignatian Educational Network of Chile and of the Latin American Federation of Jesuit Colleges (FLACSI). One of the oldest schools in Chile, it originally served the immigrant German colony in southern Chile. It is a coeducational institution with an enrollment of over 1,000 students from kindergarten through secondary school.
History
The history of the establishment begins in 1859, with the arrival of the founders, Jesuits Father Teodoro Bernardo Engbert Schwerter and Brother Joseph Schörber, at the nascent city of Puerto Montt. They came at the request the bishop of the Diocese of San Carlos de Ancud, Francisco de Paula Solar, made to Pieter Beckx, then general of Society of Jesus. The mission of the Jesuits, who arrived in Puerto Montt on March 22 of that year, was to provide educational and religious services to Catholic settlers in the area who lacked them, unlike two large Protestant communities becoming established in the area.
The ship in which the Jesuits came sank in the vicinity of Ancud after hitting a rock, and the missionaries lost all their belongings. More than a century later the bell that they were bringing to Chile would be rescued from the bottom of Chacao Channel.
Initially private lessons were held in the house of the Jesuit community, before San Jose school was formally opened offering various subjects that were standard in those years.
In 1872 the Jesuit Church was built in Puerto Montt and ten years later in 1882 a new school opened with its present name, San Francisco Javier. In 1893 the school moved to Guillermo Gallardo Street next to the church and remained there for a century.
In 1890, a bell tower was built within the school property. In 1905 a clock was added, and is still operative. The four bells were made in Austria. The largest, called San Jose, weighs 1750 kilos and was installed in 1894. In 1997 the bell tower, that had become a landmark in the city, was declared a National Monument.
In 1916 and 1917 the third and fourth year of humanities, today's first and second half year, were established. After 1917 also a course of trade and accounting was offered, but was dropped in 1930. The year 1930 also saw the inauguration of numerous special courses that were popular in the city. In 1949 the first class of sixth year humanities, now fourth half year, graduated.
During the nineteenth century the college expanded its infrastructure by acquiring Chinquío Island where new facilities were built, including the gym (that would be used as a shelter for victims of the 1960 earthquake).
Coeducation began in 2008. In 2011 a new US$ 31 million school was built in the Pelluco Alto sector, leaving the center of city and acquiring a very modern infrastructure.