Religious Sights in Lima
Peru was founded under the sign of Evangelization: one of the most visible "official" motivations of the Spanish conquistadores was bringing their religion to these lands, to save people's souls. So the Catholic religion was established here right from the early 1530s; nowadays, more than 460 years after, it still has a strong presence in Peru, and more than 80% of the Peruvians claim to be Catholic.
The public presence of the Catholic church is still not only in the state official ceremonies (beginning with the inauguration of the president with high mass in the Cathedral) but also in the observance of major Peruvian saints' days and festivals. And of course, the old Baroque Colonial churches remain as a monument of this presence.
Concentrated mostly in Lima Downtown, the most relevant Catholic monuments that we suggest to see would be the Cathedral (Catedral de Lima, the most important in Lima; the Palacio Arzobispal,administrative headquarters of the Catholic Church in Peru: the Iglesia de San Francisco y Museo (and its catacombs), the Iglesia de La Merced, with its red facade; the Iglesia de las Nazarenas, home of a sacred image of the Lord of the Miracles; the Iglesia de San Pedro, the most exquisite example of the luxury of the church during viceroyalty times; the Iglesia y Convento de Santo Domingo, home of local saint Saint Martin de Porres, and the Iglesia y Santuario de Santa Rosa de Lima.
However, the ancient Peruvians' animistic beliefs were never completely exterminated, and nowadays you can still see native populations celebrating their traditional adoration ceremonies. But while in Lima, the closest experience would be visiting two ancient sacred places: Cerro San Cristóbal (the ancient Apu or "protector") and Huaca Pucllana, a former adoration place that is now an archaeological site that houses a museum and a gourmet restaurant.
The public presence of the Catholic church is still not only in the state official ceremonies (beginning with the inauguration of the president with high mass in the Cathedral) but also in the observance of major Peruvian saints' days and festivals. And of course, the old Baroque Colonial churches remain as a monument of this presence.
Concentrated mostly in Lima Downtown, the most relevant Catholic monuments that we suggest to see would be the Cathedral (Catedral de Lima, the most important in Lima; the Palacio Arzobispal,administrative headquarters of the Catholic Church in Peru: the Iglesia de San Francisco y Museo (and its catacombs), the Iglesia de La Merced, with its red facade; the Iglesia de las Nazarenas, home of a sacred image of the Lord of the Miracles; the Iglesia de San Pedro, the most exquisite example of the luxury of the church during viceroyalty times; the Iglesia y Convento de Santo Domingo, home of local saint Saint Martin de Porres, and the Iglesia y Santuario de Santa Rosa de Lima.
However, the ancient Peruvians' animistic beliefs were never completely exterminated, and nowadays you can still see native populations celebrating their traditional adoration ceremonies. But while in Lima, the closest experience would be visiting two ancient sacred places: Cerro San Cristóbal (the ancient Apu or "protector") and Huaca Pucllana, a former adoration place that is now an archaeological site that houses a museum and a gourmet restaurant.
Catedral de Lima (La)
Plaza Mayor
Lado este de la Plaza Mayor de Lima, Jirón Carabaya
The main Cathedral in Lima and Peru...
Palacio Arzobispal
Plaza de Armas de Lima
Costado de la Catedral
Colonial palace of the Viceroyalty...
Iglesia de las Nazarenas
Huancavelica 515, with Tacna Avenue
, cuadra 5
Home to an image of the Lord of Miracles...
More Top Lists
Popular Places
Neighborhoods
