LIMA ATTRACTIONS

THE CATHEDRAL OF LIMA

Francisco Pizarro itself began the construction of this Church on a Monday, January 18th in the year of 1535, thus founding the so called Ciudad de los Reyes, or City of the Kings. Its original name was Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de La Asunción - Church of Our Lady of Ascension, and it extended over the area actually occupied by the Atrium of the Cathedral. It was inaugurated with great pomp on March 11th, 1540.

On May 14th, 1541 it was raised to the range of Cathedral of the Bishopric of Lima. In 1550 the construction of a second Cathedral began, this one larger than the first. In this building, in the Capilla Mayor or Main Chapel, was deposited the urn containing the remains of the slain Francisco Pizarro, Founder of the City of Lima.
In 1564, the architect Alonso Beltrán designed the layout of the third version of the Cathedral Church, which included three naves, several chapels and lateral niches. The construction got started after new areas were added between the Huallaga and Lampa Streets.

Twenty years later, architect Francisco Becerra modified the earlier plan and hence directed the construction of what became, at least in its layout, the actual Cathedral. In 1604 a part of it was inaugurated while the remaining structures where still being demolished.

The Basilica Cathedral of Lima, constituted by the façade, altars and vaults is regarded as the oldest Colonial architectonical work in the Peruvian Capital City.

Due to the earthquakes that frequently devastated the City, the Church has been re-constructed and modified more than once. It presently comprises several architectonical styles, though the Renascence style clearly predominates. It shows a layout of three naves and fourteen lateral chapels.

Among its most notable Altars can be mentioned La Concepción, San Juan Bautista, Santo Domingo de Mogrovejo and La Virgen de la Evangelización. The stools of the chorus of the Major Altar are regarded as works of art done in carved wood, representing several Catholic saints. In one chapel stands a glass urn wherein lie the supposed mortal remains of Francisco Pizarro.

The Cathedral keeps a beautiful image of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción - Our Lady of Ascension, the Chapel of La Inmaculada with its Churrigueresque style, a Christ in carved ivory and the Virgen de la Evangelización, crowned by the Pope John Paul II during his visit to the City in 1985.

The Cathedral also contains the Museo de Arte Religioso or Museum of Religious Art, where are kept liturgical devices, paintings from the Schools of Lima, Cusco and Ayacucho from the 17th and 18th Centuries, besides an important collection of canvasses, sculptures, chalices and chasubles.

Among the great art works stands out a series of the Zodiac of the Bassano (16th and 17th Centuries). It also contains the ceremonial outfits that the priests wear during the different religious festivities, adorned in golden and silver embroidery, strewn with diverse precious stones.

Next to the Cathedral is located the Iglesia del Sagrario Church, current Parish of the Historical Centre of Lima. Beside this Church is the Palacio Arzobispal or Archbishopric Palace, in a Neo-plateresque style, whose balconies stand out in the Main Square. In the area behind one can find the Archivo Arzobispal Archives that store valuable documents from the Colonial era.

The Cathedral of Lima is a part of the Cultural Patrimony of Humanity. This is the oldest Church in South America and in times of the Spanish domain was the seat of the religious power of the Spanish Viceroyalty.

SANTA ROSA DE LIMA CHURCH AND SANCTUARY

This archaeological complex was built between the 17th and 18th Centuries beside the house where Santa Rosa de Lima, Patroness of Lima, America and the Philippines was born.

The Sanctuary was finished in the year of 1728, a century after the death of the Saint, but was demolished to build a church in its place. In 1912, the Dominicans resumed the control of the place and then rebuilt the Sanctuary around 1923.

At the present days, the complex is composed by the Church and the Sanctuary.

The original façade became demolished in order to giving way to the Avenida Tacna Avenue. There still remains the back part of the Temple, where is kept the altar of the Sagrado Corazón (Sacred Heart). On this altar stands out the image of the Niño Jesús (Jesus Child), surnamed "El Doctorcito" or the "Little Doctor", due to the miraculous healings performed by him through Santa Rosa prayers.

The area of the Sanctuary comprises several rooms where the Saint actually dwelled. There can still be seen the precious though humble garden where she planted a lemon tree, and where is located the hermitage which she built herself for her prayer sessions. Moreover, her fingerprints are still cast upon the clay she used for its construction.

Another attraction is the 19 deep well into which, according to the popular belief, she dumped the chain of the torment belt she wrapped around her waist in order to attain pain as a signal of penitence. Her believers use to throw into these well written papers with their petitions to the Saint.

At the right side of the entrance is placed the "infirmary" and to the left the room where she was born and which she will later employ as her cell. From the latter are still preserved its furnishing, her books and torment belts. Among those objects there is a portrait, namely the only original one, painted by the artist Angelino Medoro, only few moments before her death.

The holiday of Santa Rosa de Lima is celebrated on every August 30th. It is one of the most concurred festivities by the citizens of Lima.

SANTO DOMINGO CHURCH

Santo Domingo, the oldest convent in Lima, is one the city's most peaceful spots due to its harmonious architectural style. Consisting of a series of cloisters and courtyards surrounded by service areas and community halls, to the right of its main altar, you will find the final resting places of Saint Rose of Lima, San Martin de Porres and the beatified Juan Masías.
Church and Convent of San Francisco:
Due to its magnificent harmony of volume and color, San Francisco is considered by some as the greatest architectural complex of its kind in Latin America. Its construction was started in 1542 and completed in 1674.The convent, the cloisters and gatehouse are decorated with tiles from Seville. In the basement are underground galleries or catacombs that, during the Viceroyalty, served as a cemetery for the city.

Historical Houses

Casa Aliaga (House of Aliaga):

This mansion was built over the private temple of the native chief Taulischusco, leading authority of the Rimac Valley during Inca times. The house belonged to Jeronimo de Aliaga who was given the land by Francisco Pizarro. Almost uniquely in both Peru and Latin America, the house continues to be occupied by descendants of the conquistador right to this day.
Casa de Pilatos (House of Pilate):
This house is one of the oldest in Lima. Built in 1590 by Jesuit Luis Portillo, it owes its name due to its similarity with the Casa de Pilatos in Seville, Spain.
Casa Goyeneche or Rada (House of Goyeneche or Rada):
One of the first mansions in Lima to display the French influence common in the mid 18th century, it still maintains its traditional structure today, most notably with its balconies and doorways, characteristic of that period.
Palacio de Torre Tagle (Torre Tagle Palace):
The most beautiful of Lima's 18th century mansions, due to its true 'Limeño' architectural originality, harmoniously combining as it does Andalusian, Moorish, Creole and Asian features. The Palace, nowadays home to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has a stone facade and two carved balconies; both authentic "Limeño" architectural jewels.
The Government (or Presidential) Palace:
Located on the Main Square (Plaza de Armas), it houses elegant apartments and halls, in addition to priceless paintings. It is also known as the Casa de Pizarro (House of Pizarro) due to the fact that it stands on the site the conquistador selected to govern from.
Court of the Holy Office or the Inquisition (Tribunal del Santo Oficio):
The Inquisition was established in Peru in 1569 to punish heresies and other offenses against the Catholic religion, and wasn't abolished until 1820. The building has an imposing neoclassical portico and an exquisite ceiling carved in wood in its main hall, the finest extant in Lima.

Squares and Parks in Lima

Plaza Mayor (Main Square):
Lima's Plaza Mayor is the "heart" of the city, lively and Creole to the core, a "heart" which started to beat the very day the city was founded. More beautiful than ever due to its recent renovation, its bronze fountain stands out; with its statue of the Angel of Fame holding a clarion in its left hand and its right a flag bearing both Lima's and the Crown's coat of arms.
Plaza San Martin (San Martin's Square):
This "plaza" was inaugurated in 1921 on the Centennial of Peru's Independence. The monument in honor of General José de San Martín, Argentine Liberator of Peru, was created by Catalan sculptor, don Mariano Benlluire. The upper part shows the independence warrior ascending the Andes on horseback. The figure is leaning against a granite pedestal, which has the shape of a truncated pyramid with a stepped base.
Parque Universitario (University Park):
Dating from 1870, when the city's colonial walls were demolished and 20,000 thousand square meters were designated for a small square. It was only decided to cobblestone it in 1920, and the German community of Peru arranged for the construction of a 30-meter high tower clock which chimes the music of the National Anthem every day at noon, to celebrate Peru's Independence Centennial
Pantanos de Villa (Villa Swamps):
A Metropolitan Ecological Park in Chorrillos, 30 minutes from downtown Lima. The swamps or "humedales" (humid lands) stretch over more than 2,000 hectares and are a refuge for migrating birds.