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On August 15, 1540, the city of Arequipa was founded by Garcí Manuel de Carbajal, who is said to have marked with a cross the place where the first church would be built. Over time, this temple gave rise to the current Basilica Cathedral of Arequipa, one of the city’s most representative religious monuments.
Throughout its history, the cathedral was rebuilt and remodeled several times due to fires and earthquakes. One of the most important events was the fire of 1844, which destroyed much of the structure. Later, in the 19th century, architect Lucas Poblete directed the reconstruction of the temple and consolidated its imposing neoclassical ashlar façade. The earthquake of 1868 also caused severe damage, leading to further restoration work.
Its ashlar façade extends along the entire Plaza de Armas, with its imposing towers standing out and visible from several points in the city. The cathedral is divided into three naves and features an elegant interior design. Its façade has three portals and a set of seventy Corinthian columns. Although it has one main nave, something unusual in traditional cathedrals, this design gives it a more modern and spacious appearance.
The Basilica Cathedral of Arequipa is located on the northern side of the Plaza de Armas, in the historic center of the city.
Among its main attractions are its neoclassical ashlar façade, its towers, the bronze medallions linked to the Peru-Bolivian Confederation, the main altar made of Carrara marble, the carved wooden pulpit, and the interior architecture of the temple.
The museum has a room called Treasures of the Cathedral, where visitors can admire a collection of monstrances, crowns, and other liturgical objects of great artistic and technical quality in goldsmithing. It also has the Ornaments, Cloths, and Other Religious Objects room, which displays ecclesiastical vestments, some of which are no longer used in current liturgies.
In the Religious Paintings of the Republican Period room, five works by the Tacna-born painter Francisco Laso are exhibited. This space is complemented by information panels that explain the history of painting in Peru during the viceregal and republican periods.
The Cathedral of Arequipa can generally be visited from Monday to Saturday, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Admission during Mass hours is free. To access the museum and the towers, there is a reference fee of S/ 10.00 for adults and S/ 5.00 for students.
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