CATHEDRAL OF CUSCO, Entrances and Photo Gallery

The Cathedral of Cusco, or Cathedral Basilica of the Virgin of the Assumption, is Cusco, Peru’s main temple and Christian religious monument. It is located in the northeast sector of the current Plaza de Armas.

The Cathedral of Cusco was built on the site of the Suntur Wasi, the Palace of the Inca Viracocha.

According to history, the Great Plaza of Cusco was surrounded by Inca palaces built to house their Panakas, or royal families. One of them was the Kiswarkancha, which belongs to the Inca Viracocha. On its eastern side, the building had a circular Suntur Wasi, a house of arms and shields. These two primitive constructions are the Cathedral of Cusco and its two smaller churches.

In Colonial times, the Ecclesiastical Cabildo ordered the demolition and transfer of the Andesite stones of the main walls of the fortress of Sacsayhuaman to use them in the construction of the cathedral, which was built between 1560 and 1664.

Although the work was designed and supervised by Hispanic architects and priests, it was executed with the Incas’ sweat, tears, and blood.

As evidence of the writing, the traveler can observe the large blocks of red granite extracted from the Inca fortress of Sacsayhuaman during the visit to the cathedral.

The building is one of the most impressive in the city; its Renaissance-style façade contrasts with the mud and plateresque of its luxurious interiors.

In addition, it possesses one of the most important samples of goldwork of colonial art, finely carved wooden altars, and a beautiful collection of canvases from the Cusqueña School.

At its sides are two small auxiliary chapels, one of them the church of Triumph, the first cathedral of Cusco, erected in 1532 on the palace of the Inca Viracocha.

The construction of this cathedral monument took 132 years and more than 4,000 meters. It contained eleven chapels, a sacristy, a chapter room, seven altarpieces, and a choir entirely carved in cedarwood, executed by an indigenous master and a Spanish master. In addition, it owns more than 300 paintings and sculptures of diverse sizes.

The main altar is entirely covered with sheets of silver Cusco, weighing 1,250 kg, equivalent to 15,000 marks of pure silver (measured viceregal weight). This fortune was donated by a Cusco bishop who ordered it brought from the mines of St. Thomas. Noteworthy is the famous Cuzco silver carriage, in which the virile of cathedral custody continues to be transported in procession during the religious festival of Corpus Christi.

The rectangular architectural plant with crucerías gives access to the Sagrada Familia and El Triunfo temples, confusing the plant-like Latin cross. The cathedral has five naves, twenty-eight pillars, and fifty-six arches.

The tour purchased to visit the cathedral includes the Temple of Triumph and La Sagrada Familia.

Hours: Monday to Sunday from 10.00 to 18.00hs.
Cost of the entrance (Partial, only to this museum):
Adult: S / 25 (Nuevos Soles)
Student: S / 12.50 (Nuevos Soles)

The Cathedral of Cusco is included within the Circuit Religious Archbishop.

This circuit shows visitors the splendor of Cuzco’s viceroyalty and the Peruvian world.

Inside the circuit, you can appreciate Cusco’s architecture, painting, sculpture, carving, and music. These combine the most diverse styles from the third decade of the sixteenth century, starting from the transition style. The mannerism travels through tenebrism, baroque, and rococo forms and ends with neoclassical forms.

These works of art, guarded inside the most important religious monuments of Cusco, were carried out by European, indigenous, and mestizo masters and reflect the encounter and clash of two cultures, their symbiosis, a fusion of ideas, and a double codification of values.

The museums of the religious circuit are The Cathedral of Cusco, Jesus Company Temple, Religious Art Museum, and San Blas Temple.

The fee to access all the museums that make up the circuit:

Adults: S / 50.00 (Nuevos Soles)
Student: S / 25.00 (Nuevos Soles)
Address to buy the ticket: Room of the Holy Inquisition, Plaza de Armas, Cusco.

Photo gallery: