Cathedral of Santo Domingo - Cusco, Peru

The Cathedral of Santo Domingo (also known as Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of the Assumption) in Cuzco, Peru was built over the course of a century stretching from the mid-sixteenth century well into the seventeenth century. The church was completed in 1654. The structure is located off the Plaza de Armas in the center of Cuzco. Tourist Tickets (Boleto Turistico del Cuzco) can be purchased from any of the numerous tour companies located around the plaza for around forty-five US Dollars. The tickets include admission to most of the historic sites around Cuzco and the Sacred Valley. Your enjoyment of these sites will be enhanced if you purchase the ticket as part of an organized tour that includes a guide and transportation. Most of the tours begin at the Cathedral of Santo Domingo.

My tour group entered the Cathedral of Santo Domingo from the adjacent Iglesia del Triunfo, which was the first Christian church in Cuzco, Peru. The cathedral is still an active place of worship when tours are not being conducted. The church is divided into sections, with private chapels arranged around the perimeter of the building. These small chapels are owned by individual families who purchased the space years ago. The individual chapels are cordoned off with tall gates and display a wide range of artifacts and are richly decorated with utensils made of or coated in precious metals.

As our tour navigated the interior of the cathedral, several significant items were pointed out by our guide, who had a combination of Spanish and Incan ancestry. The church, in order to proselytize the local population incorporated instruments of worship into the cathedral. Among them was a large round stone, located inconspicuously near the doors that exit the chapel. This large egg-shaped stone was a central item of worship for the Inca. Our guide advised us that some worshipers still come and attend to the stone rather than the religious ceremonies in the chapel. The church itself was built on an ancient Incan temple called Kiswarkancha. The cathedral was built of stone largely derived from the historic site at Sacsayhuaman.

I do not recall what the wooden area of the chapel was called, but opposite the altar was an ornate seating area carefully carved from wood. The entire room was carved by a single artist over the course of twenty-eight years. The intricate details are a testament to one man’s life-work. The Cathedral of Santo Domingo holds many marvelous examples of art. Yet this dark, carved-wood area stands out in my mind as an amazing work of art. I think the area may have been used for the choir.

The carved wood area sits adjacent to a more popular attraction…black Jesus. Jesus was originally crafted from wood with a skin tone meant to match that of the local citizens. This was another attempt to indoctrinate the Inca into the Catholic faith. Years of burning candles covered the entire cathedral in black soot and turned Jesus black. A telecommunications company paid for the chapel to be restored, so don’t be surprised by the electric candles that “burn” around the cathedral. Our guide told us about an interesting annual procession when black Jesus is taken outside for the Lord of Miracles Procession. The tradition started in 1650 when the crucifix was said to stop the earthquake that year. It is now marked by excessive imbibing of the local brew called Chicha. The guide described the scene in comical terms that gave me a good chuckle.

The altar itself features a triangular-shaped Virgin Mary and is plated with silver. Our guide explained that the triangle shape was another local religious icon incorporated into the altar. The silver, along with mirrors throughout the cathedral, are elements that hearken back to the Incan tradition of worshiping the sun. This was an interesting concept provided by our guide, but I later read that the altar was originally cedar and wasn’t plated in silver until the early nineteenth century. I would imagine by that time, the issue of conversion may have been less prominent in the decision matrix regarding such matters.

Peruvian Last Supper (from Tripadvisor)

This photo of Catedral del Cuzco o Catedral Basilica de la Virgen de la Asuncion is courtesy of TripAdvisor

The Cathedral of Santo Domingo is covered in ancient art. If you enjoy architecture, the building itself will interest you. The interior art includes the Pintura Senor de los Temblores, Vincente de Valverde, Christ’s 12 Parables, paintings by Marcos Zapata and Anthony Van Dyck. The former being the oldest painting in Cuzco, it depicts the earthquake of 1650. The portrait of Vincente de Valverde depicts the Cuzco Bishop who was a compatriot of Francisco Pizarro. Among the more interesting paintings is the Cuzco variation of the Last Supper. Rather than bread and wine, this painting features the local delicacy, Cuy (roasted guinea pig) central to the table. It is interesting to me for two other reasons. First, none of the disciples are looking at Christ. They are all absorbed in some other strain of thought. Second, the character Judas is shown holding his bag of silver looking directly at the person viewing the painting. Our guide believes that Judas was painted to look like Francisco Pizarro. Interesting.

Any visit to Cuzco would be incomplete without a tour of the* Cathedral of Santo Domingo*. The rich art and amazing architecture are enough to make the cost of admission worthwhile. Taking a tour where the guide understands the incorporation of icons to merge the local religion with Catholicism was a bonus. The tour provided interesting insight into the process of conversion and the methods of worship before the church arrived in Peru. The sheer scale of the chapel and the artwork were inspiring. I would highly recommend adding this tour to your itinerary whether you are visiting Cuzco or simply passing through on your way to Machu Picchu. One of those things to do you won't want to miss.

Some of my Peru photos were inadvertently deleted. The title photo comes from Wikipedia, the map from Google Maps and the painting of the Last Supper from Travelocity.