The Convent of Santo Domingo in Lima is an architectural group of religious buildings dedicated to Nuestra Señora del Rosario. Founded in 1535, the Convent of Santo Domingo in Lima stands out for its beauty, its historical value, for the paintings of the Cusco school on the upper part of the walls of the first cloister, its tiles from the mid-16th century, its sculptures, the coffered ceiling with hundreds of pieces of wood carved with skill by hand, the rooms in honor of the saints, the bell tower.
History
The construction of the Convent of Santo Domingo in Lima took about 50 years. Its construction began during the founding of Lima and concluded at the end of the 16th century. It was the provincial Fray Tomás de San Martín, who began to carry out the construction of the first temple of the Order, later being the superior Fray Sebastián de Ayllón who received help from the King, completing the work in the year 1578.
The first building was totally destroyed by the 1678 earthquake. A new church was erected by the Dominican builder Diego Maroto and the convent was rebuilt, which before the 1687 earthquake had six cloisters and several service patios. The church was rebuilt from the transept to the choir, the arches were changed and the number of windows was expanded. As a result, the temple acquired spaciousness, simplicity and uniformity. The materials used in the construction were adobe, brick and calicanto, among others. The quincha served to lighten the weight, make the structure more flexible and increase resistance to earthquakes, so frequent in this region.
While these great works were being carried out, inside and outside the church, in August 1667, the beatification of Saint Rose of Lima was celebrated with great pomp. After the earthquake of 1746, which reduced Lima to rubble, the reconstruction of the convent and the church began to turn them into the monument we know today. During the time of Independence, the priest Matías Maestro transformed the interior of the Dominican temple rebuilding practically all its altars to convert them to the neoclassical style that was in full swing. The church was elevated to the category of Minor Basilica in 1930.
Description
The facade is neoclassical in style, it faces the Plazuela de Santo Domingo and on its left side there is a bell tower.
Santo Domingo Tower
The first one was destroyed during the earthquake of October 28, 1746. The current tower was conceived and designed by Viceroy Manuel Amat y Juniet in 1766 in the Rococo style, being octagonal in the lower part.
It is divided into a lower body called a cube and two high bodies where the Lima-style balcony is located. At the top is the sculpture known as the Angel of Fame. The total height is 46 meters. Its original color is white and pink, becoming the most characteristic and striking element of the religious complex.
Choral stalls of the Presbytery
Located in the upper part of the main altar, unlike the stalls of the Cathedral of Lima that is on the first floor, it is the oldest in Peru.
Made entirely of cedar wood, brought from Nicaragua, it is in the Renaissance style, with Mannerist elements. It has two sets of chairs: the one on the first level was sculpted at the same time, with the design based on the old one. The originals are on the back, bearing carvings of saints and other biblical characters on the back. In the central part of the stalls is the main seat of the Prior of the convent, with carvings of Santo Domingo de Guzmán and San Francisco de Asis, founders of Los Dominicos and Los Franciscanos, respectively. The choir stalls were carved by various artists.
Main Cloister
Cloister of the Convent of Santo Domingo in Lima which shows tiles on the walls and columns
Composed of four galleries, decorated with Sevillian tiles dating from 1604 and 1606; The paintings that are observed present passages from the life of Santo Domingo de Guzmán, founder of the Dominican order, paintings that are attributed to Mateo Pérez de Alecio and Francisco Pacheco. In each corner of this cloister there is an altarpiece with biblical representations. The ceilings of these galleries are made of Panama oak, carved in the Mudejar style; Also noteworthy in this cloister is the presence of a bronze sink, ordered to be built by the Dominicans, very famous for being where San Martín de Porres, according to the writer Ricardo Palma, washed the brown sugar loaf turning it into white.
Library
One of the most worth visiting is the library, not only for the value of the works, but for the coffered ceiling. In his possession are the oldest books that the Dominicans used, among them, incunabula.
Second Cloister
Of simpler construction, in one corner there is a Carrara marble sculpture representing the Christ of the Column. Cloister composed of two floors; the first has semicircular arches with cushions, and the second floor has a baluster with triangular arches. Sometimes what is written is not credible.
Chapel of San Martín de Porres
Place where San Martín de Porres had his cell being destroyed by the 1746 earthquake. Due to the faithful and donations of the Church, a chapel is built in the place where he also had his infirmary. It has an altar where his image is venerated, having on his sides Santo Domingo and San Francisco de Asís and in the upper part the Virgen del Rosario. In the grave his remains rest and an urn where the timbers of his bed are kept. On the walls you can see pictures that represent the miracles of Martin. At the back of the Chapel is his bedroom, as well as the Saint’s Oratory, a small room under the stairs where Martín frequently prayed and was tempted by the devil. Today you can see the large number of memories that his faithful devotees bring him. At the top there is a wooden cross with which it is remembered that in this same place San Martín removed the temptations of the evil one.
Tomb of Saint Rose of Lima
Located in the place that was an old cemetery where the first religious of the order were buried. An ossuary several meters deep where the bones of the time were placed. The marble tomb where the remains of Santa Rosa de Lima were buried, are in the center of the environment that is decorated with mosaics. A memorial plaque reads: «I make a donation of my body to my Dominican brothers.» This phrase explains the gratitude of having belonged to the Dominican Tertiary order.
Chapter House or General
It is called Capitular because all the friars met by chapters in order to choose their authorities and solve their problems, the room was built in the 17th century by Father Diego Moroto, a member of the Order, an Italian architect and in the Baroque style. In 1551, in this same setting, the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos was inaugurated. Its existing platform or chair is used in the seventeenth century to teach classes or to support thesis, made in the baroque style, has Solomonic columns, presents a painting of Saint Thomas Aquinas, in front there is a small altar where the Christ of the agony, before which San Martín was ecstatic and embraced whom he was seen.
Visiting Room
Here the parents receive their authorities and relatives. The beauty of this room is its coffered ceiling in the Mudejar style from 1580, with three thousand pressure pieces without nails. In this place the musical notes of the National Anthem of Peru were composed by José Bernardo Alcedo.
How to get to the Convent of Santo Domingo in Lima?
The Church of Santo Domingo is located at Jr. Camaná 170, one block from the Plaza de Armas de Lima.
Tour with your family and friends the different environments of this religious site that currently functions as a Museum, and which has become one of the most visited places in the capital.
Cost of admission to the Museum:
Adults: S /. 7.00 – Students: S /. 3.50 – Children: S /. 1.00
Museum hours: from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm
Mass schedule:
- Monday to Friday: 7am, 9am, 5pm, 6pm, 7pm.
- Saturday: 7am, 5pm, 6pm, 7:30 pm.
- Sunday: from 7am to 1pm, 5pm, 6pm, 7:30 pm.
