SAINT AUGUSTINE
CHURCH AND CONVENT

The Order of the Agustines arrived to Peru in June, 1551 and almost immediately started the construction of their Church in the year 1573, on the same place where it is currently located. The first stone for the construction of the Convent was placed by the Archbishop Loayza in 1592.

The definite Church was finished in the 18th Century and it still preserves the beautiful façade in Churrigueresque style.

Its superimposed bodies formed by spiralled columns and pilasters are a superb architectonical arrangement of fine craftsmanship. The scholars affirm that the earthquakes that wrecked Lima in the 17th and 18th Centuries, and most of all the erroneous restorations that it went through, has presently altered the original features of the temple.

In the interior can still be observed the magnificent sculpting of the stools of the chorus, its renowned ante-sacristy with its Mudejar styled ceiling in three levels and of course its Baroque furnishings.

Between the Sacristy and the Preparatory, the visitor will notice a lavatory that is part of an interesting composition of angels and alabaster shells that take the shape of fountains.

The cloister of the Convent presents a number of two story archways where the pilasters had on their corners some decorative details that go around the arches. In the upper part of the hallways of the first floor is a frieze with oil paintings depicting the life of Saint Augustin.

Both the Capitulary Hall and the Refectory contain beautiful paintings. In the dining room of the Convent hangs a painting of the Purísima Concepción - The Most Pure Conception -, attributed to the artist Mateo Medoro.


But the most famous among all the works of art, due to the masterly skill performed on its making is a sculpture that shows an awesome skeleton in the act of throwing an arrow. It is called La Muerte (The Death), and whose author is the most renowned Mestizo sculptor of the 18th Century: Baltasar Gavilán.

These examples are proof enough to state that San Agustín was one of the richest and most luxurious convents in Lima.

Location: Intersection of the Jirón Ica and Jirón Camaná Streets. At a distance of 300 metres from the Main Square.
Visits: All week long, from 8:00 am to 11:00 am and from 4:30 pm to 8:00 pm. After appointment.

JESUS MARIA CHURCH

This is a small monastic church that was built in the 18th Century. It exudes the air of a small town chapel, but also shows a perfectly coherent unity of forms. And it was also almost obliterated by the earthquakes of 1687 and 1746.

The façade was done in a Baroque style. The lateral panels are slightly surmounted by little belfries, giving the overall impression of a luminous beam. The wooden railings that frame the silhouette of the façade seemingly turn both belfries into true balconies.

The interior is composed by a sole nave with a humble atmosphere. Nevertheless, the altars are of an amazing richness. Both the altars and the pulpit show a baroque style where the use of pan de oro or gold leaf gilded surfaces stands out as an essential feature.

Beside this gorgeous Church there is a Monastery of enclosure.

Location: Intersection of the Jirón Camaná and Jirón Moquegua Streets.