Discover our churches
The Moorish influence of the viceregal city of Arequipa can be seen in the numerous towers and belfries that loom above the roofs of the buildings here. Arequipa’s historic center and some of its off-the-beaten-path neighborhoods have churches from most of the Spanish religious orders, all made of sillar, with their façades featuring expressions of the Mestizo Baroque style. Inside, the retablos covered in gold leaf contrast with the white stone of the walls, on which there hang canvases from the different painting schools of the southern Andes—which were extremely active in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries—alongside works by European artists. Some of these churches feature murals capturing different historical moments, rendered in Mestizo style, as well as images of Christ, the Virgin Mary, and different Christian saints. Ordinary mass is held in these churches, as well as special masses to mark celebratory occasions, making them living expressions of Arequipa’s culture.
Located on the north side of the Plaza de Armas (the city’s main square). Features a Neoclassical façade with three large doors, two lateral arches, seventy columns with Corinthian capitals and two Renaissance-style towers.
Located at the southeast corner of the Plaza de Armas, the Compañía de Jesús is the church that most faithfully captures Arequipa’s so-called “Mestizo” architectural style.
THERE are Festival Digital Arequipa 2020 – The architecture of Arequipa