This article studies anticlericalism as religious dissent and criticism manifested in Chile during the 1820s. Although Chile was regarded as a Catholic republic, the analysis of anticlericalism shows that it was an important stream of political criticism that had its dissemination mainly through the press and theater. Nevertheless anticlericalism was not an organized movement; this religious response was led in a way that allowed anticlericalism to assume a defined political identity because of its secularizing potential, the promotion of religious tolerance, criticism of the ancient regime and the necessity to carry out reforms to the clergy in benefit of individual freedoms and national progress.