Visiting the Jesuits

The sites to be seen in cities of Peru, as they were in Ecuador, always include the local churches that were built during colonial times.  They are impressive, but after touring a number of them, one’s interest tends to wane.   So our expectations were not high as we went to tour the “Iglesia de la Compañía” (the Jesuit Church).   However, we were wrong.   The exterior Baroque carvings (with an indigenous flair) are impressive, to say the least, and the paintings in the small chapel named after the founder of the Jesuit order (Saint Ignatius of Loyola) are spectacular.   Those two glowing reports perhaps imply that the interior of the church is nondescript, which is not exactly true, but the exterior carvings and the small chapel are what one should see.

The chapel is extraordinary.  The chapel had been the original sanctuary and is a square of about 40 feet on the side with a high dome.  The structure was used later after the main church was built to teach Jesuits who were going to be missionaries into the Amazon region and the walls were painted with a jungle theme.  The paints used were mixtures of animal fats and organic dyes.  The artists did well! Photos were not allowed in the chapel, so the five pics inside of the chapel at the bottom of this posting are photographs of post cards we purchased.

Also the former monasteries that are attached to the church have been converted to private commercial shops.  The plazas have been retained and the original architecture is there, but the space seems to be well used for some up-scale shops.

A map always helps.  Commercial area on the left that had been the monasteries, the church on the right with the "must see" chapel at the back corner of the church.

The carvings over the main entrance.

The main entrance to the Church.

Here is a closer look at the carvings on the left and on the right of the main entrance. In stone it is written that this church was built in 1698 (at least this addition was.)

The carving of the soldier wielding his sword above some turban wearing heads was shown on a previous posting.  This addition and doorway is dated 1656.

The main aisle leading to the altar.

A side altar which was actively being used as people offered lit candles for some purpose.

A very Spanish-looking depiction of Christ.

A view of one of the plazas that had been in the monasteries.

A closer look at one of the pillars, but also note the paintings for sale in the background.

A water spout (gutter spout) that drained water from the upper level.

A jewel-encrusted religious artifact displayed in the Chapel.

So one did not have to bend over backwards to view the murals on the underside of the dome, there were mirrors set up so you could admire the ceiling by looking down.  What a good idea. You looked down to see the ceiling. Not so good for photos (which were not allowed - but this was a picture of a mirror)!

One wall of the chapel with a baptismal font that was carved from a single piece of stone (postcard pic).  

The opposite wall. The doors cover display windows with valuable religious artifacts (postcard pic).

One of the many birds in the paintings.  The birds supposedly are replacements for angels as that was common in early Christianity and the local indigenous cultures also revered the birds (postcard pic).

A view of the corner of the vaulted dome (postcard pic).

And lastly a partial view of the dome (postcard pic).