Basilica And Convent Of Santo Domingo, Lima
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The Basilica and Maximus Convent of Nuestra Señora del Rosario, popularly known as the Convent of Santo Domingo (or Convent of the Holy Rosary), is a
Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
religious complex located in the city of
Lima Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of t ...
,
Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...
. It was created in the 1530s under the patronage of
Our Lady of the Rosary Our Lady of the Rosary, also known as Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, is a Marian title. The Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, formerly known as Feast of Our Lady of Victory and Feast of the Holy Rosary is celebrated on 7 October in the General Roma ...
and is located in the
Historic Centre of Lima Located principally in the city centre or Cercado de Lima and Rímac areas, the Historic Centre of Lima is among the most important tourist destinations in Peru. Foundation The city of Lima, the capital of Peru, was founded by Francisco Piz ...
. It houses the
relics In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tangi ...
of
Rose of Lima Rose of Lima (born Isabel Flores de Oliva; 20 April 1586 24 August 1617) was a member of the Third Order of Saint Dominic in Lima, Peru, who became known for both her life of severe penance and her care of the poverty stricken of the city thro ...
and
Martin de Porres Martín de Porres Velázquez (9 December 1579 – 3 November 1639) was a Peruvian lay brother of the Dominican Order who was beatified in 1837 by Pope Gregory XVI and canonized in 1962 by Pope John XXIII. He is the patron saint of mixed-r ...
, and was also where the
University of San Marcos The National University of San Marcos ( es, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, link=no, UNMSM) is a public research university located in Lima, the capital of Peru. It is considered the most important, recognized and representative educ ...
, officially the first Peruvian university and the oldest university in the Americas, began to function in the 16th century.


History

The construction of the Convent of Santo Domingo took about 50 years. Its construction began during the foundation of
Lima Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of t ...
and concluded at the end of 16th century. It was the provincial Friar
Tomás de San Martín Tomás may refer to: * Tomás (given name) Tomás is a Spanish, Portuguese, and Irish (also in the archaic forms ''Thomaz'', ''Thomás'' and '' Tomaz'') given name equivalent of ''Thomas''. It may refer to: * Tomás de Anchorena (1783–1847), ...
, who began to carry out the construction of the first church of the Order, being later the superior Friar Sebastián de Ayllón that received aid of the King, finishing the work in the year of 1578. The first building was completely destroyed by the earthquake of 1678. A new church was erected by Dominican architect Diego Maroto, and the convent was rebuilt, which had six cloisters and several courtyards before the earthquake of 1687. 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 church acquired breadth, simplicity and uniformity. The materials used in the construction were adobe, brick and ''calicanto'', among others. The
quincha Quincha is a traditional construction system that uses, fundamentally, wood and cane or giant reed forming an earthquake-proof framework that is covered in mud and plaster. History Quincha is a Spanish term widely known in Latin America, borrow ...
served to lighten the weight, to make the structure more flexible and to increase the resistance to the earthquakes, so frequent in this region. Because the earthquakes of 1687 and 1746 the set necessitated further modifications, such as the reconstruction of the tower, the main portal of the church and part of the convent, which included changes in the distribution of the cloisters, which is currently can appreciate. The church was elevated to the category of Minor Basilica in 1930. The structure of the church was some damaged ten years later by an earthquake and restored in the later years. Years later different environments and the convent's orchard would be lost, when the north section of the apple was demolished, that gave to the
Rímac River The Rímac River is located in western Peru and is the most important source of potable water for the Lima and Callao Metropolitan Area. The river is part of the Pacific watershed and has a length of 204 km. The river begins in the highlan ...
.


The church


Exterior

The exterior of the church was originally covered by
bossage Bossage is uncut stone that is laid in place in a building, projecting outward from the building, to later be carved into decorative moldings, capitals, arms, etc. Bossages are also rustic work, consisting of stones which seem to advance beyond ...
, as can be seen still at the base of the bell tower. A primitive portal, two bodies and three streets, was carved in the second half of the 17th century. In later years a new portal would rise because of the earthquakes that destroyed the church. The church was restored after the Earthquake of Lima and Callao of 1940, that supposed the application of cement in the walls.


Bell tower

The first bell tower of the church, of baroque style and three bodies, was designed together with the church by Diego Maroto in the second half of the 17th century and was destroyed during the earthquake of 28 of October 1746. The present bell tower was conceived and designed by the Viceroy Manuel d'Amat i de Junyent in 1766 in the
Rococo Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...
style, being in the bottom of octagonal form. It is divided into a lower body and two tall bodies with small balconies on corbels. At the top is the sculpture of a figure holding a trumpet, representing the angel who announces the Final Judgment. The total height is 46 meters, and is considered one of the most characteristic elements of the religious complex. The base of the bell tower still preserves the bossage that once covered the facade of the first church. The total height is 46 meters. Its original color is white and pink, becoming the most characteristic and striking element of the religious set.


Description of its interior

The church is divided in a main nave covered by rib vault and two lateral naves of interconnected and lantern chapels, in which also is the lateral portal of the church, the access to the tower and, next to the epistle, an entrance to the main cloister of the convent. The main nave has an additional entrance to the feet preceded by the
narthex The narthex is an architectural element typical of early Christian and Byzantine basilicas and churches consisting of the entrance or lobby area, located at the west end of the nave, opposite the church's main altar. Traditionally the narthex ...
(space where religious instruction was given to the natives or those who were not baptized), on which is the high choir of the church.


Choir

In the chorus of the church is the one that is considered the oldest ashlar masonry of the country. Completely worked in wood of cedar brought from
Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the cou ...
, it is of
Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...
style, with
Mannerist Mannerism, which may also be known as Late Renaissance, is a style in European art that emerged in the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520, spreading by about 1530 and lasting until about the end of the 16th century in Italy, ...
elements. It has two sets of stalls: the first level was modernly sculpted, with the design based on the old. The originals are in the back, bearing in the back carvings of saints and other biblical characters. In the central part of the ashlar is the main seat of the
prior Prior (or prioress) is an ecclesiastical title for a superior in some religious orders. The word is derived from the Latin for "earlier" or "first". Its earlier generic usage referred to any monastic superior. In abbeys, a prior would be l ...
of the convent, with carvings of
Saint Dominic Saint Dominic ( es, Santo Domingo; 8 August 1170 – 6 August 1221), also known as Dominic de Guzmán (), was a Castilian Catholic priest, mystic, the founder of the Dominican Order and is the patron saint of astronomers and natural scientis ...
and
Saint Francis of Assisi Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone, better known as Saint Francis of Assisi ( it, Francesco d'Assisi; – 3 October 1226), was a Mysticism, mystic Italian Catholic Church, Catholic friar, founder of the Franciscans, and one of the most vener ...
founders of the Dominicans and The
Franciscans , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...
, respectively. The seat of the choir was carved by several artists among which Juan Martínez de Arrona (1562 -1635) would be outstanding.


Nave

As mentioned previously, the enclosure is formed by three naves, of which the lateral ones are composed by chapels in which are located several reredos. On the side portal from left to right we find the following reredos or altarpieces: Next to the Gospel, the altarpieces of St. Hyacinth of Poland,
Saint Joseph Joseph (; el, Ἰωσήφ, translit=Ioséph) was a 1st-century Jewish man of Nazareth who, according to the canonical Gospels, was married to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and was the legal father of Jesus. The Gospels also name some brothers of ...
,
Saint Dominic Saint Dominic ( es, Santo Domingo; 8 August 1170 – 6 August 1221), also known as Dominic de Guzmán (), was a Castilian Catholic priest, mystic, the founder of the Dominican Order and is the patron saint of astronomers and natural scientis ...
and
Our Lady of the Rosary Our Lady of the Rosary, also known as Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, is a Marian title. The Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, formerly known as Feast of Our Lady of Victory and Feast of the Holy Rosary is celebrated on 7 October in the General Roma ...
; and on the side of the Epistle those of the Peruvian Saints, the Souls,
St. Thomas Aquinas Thomas Aquinas, OP (; it, Tommaso d'Aquino, lit=Thomas of Aquino; 1225 – 7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican friar and priest who was an influential philosopher, theologian and jurist in the tradition of scholasticism; he is known ...
,
Sacred Heart The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus ( la, Cor Jesu Sacratissimum) is one of the most widely practised and well-known Catholic devotions, wherein the heart of Jesus is viewed as a symbol of "God's boundless and passionate love for mankind". This devo ...
, Chapel of the Lord of Justice and the Chapel of the Co-fraternity of the Rosary. The most important is the altarpiece of the Peruvian Saints, of neoclassical style, located in the right transept of the church. In the center is the effige of St. Rose of Lima, to the left side this of
St. Martin de Porres Martín de Porres Velázquez (9 December 1579 – 3 November 1639) was a Peruvian lay brother of the Dominican Order who was beatified in 1837 by Pope Gregory XVI and canonized in 1962 by Pope John XXIII. He is the patron saint of mixed-r ...
and to the right St. John Macias, that in spite of being born in the Iberian peninsula, is considered Peruvian because he developed his religious life in Lima. At the bottom of these images are reliquaries where the remains of each saint mentioned above rest. In the lower part of the altar there is a sculpture of St. Rose of Lima, made by the Maltese artist Melchor Caffá in 1669, on behalf of the
Pope Clement IX Pope Clement IX ( la, Clemens IX; it, Clemente IX; 28 January 1600 – 9 December 1669), born Giulio Rospigliosi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 20 June 1667 to his death in December 1669. Biography Ear ...
to give it to the Dominican fathers for his beatification. In the left transept is the altarpiece dedicated to the Patroness of Lima and titular of the church, Our Lady of the Rosary. In neoclassical style, it conserves in its main niche the effigy of this invocation "que fue la primera de este Reyno" (that she was the first one of this Kingdom). According to tradition it was given to Lima by King Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. It was specially venerated by Rose of Lima and Martin de Porres, among others, and was crowned solemnly in the year 1927.


Presbytery

The altar is of neoclassical style with decoration in turquoise and gold.


The Convent


Chapter house

It is called the Chapter House because all the friars were gathered by chapters in order to choose their authorities and solve their problems, the room was made in the 17th century, in Baroque style by the Friar Diego Maroto member of the Order, architect born in Camarena (current province of Toledo, Spain). In 1551 in this same stage the
University of San Marcos The National University of San Marcos ( es, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, link=no, UNMSM) is a public research university located in Lima, the capital of Peru. It is considered the most important, recognized and representative educ ...
is inaugurated. Its existing tribune or chatedra is used in the 17th century to dictate classes or support thesis, made in the
baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...
style, has solomonic columns, presents a painting of
St. Thomas Aquinas Thomas Aquinas, OP (; it, Tommaso d'Aquino, lit=Thomas of Aquino; 1225 – 7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican friar and priest who was an influential philosopher, theologian and jurist in the tradition of scholasticism; he is known ...
, to the front is a small reredos where the Christ of the agony is venerated, before which Martin de Porres was ecstatic and embraced to whom it was seen.


Guest room

Here the fathers receive their authorities and relatives. The most noteworthy feature of this room is its
artesonado Artesonado or Spanish ceiling is a term for coffer "a type of intricately joined wooden ceiling in which supplementary laths are interlaced into the rafters supporting the roof to form decorative geometric patterns", found in Spanish architecture. I ...
ceilings dated to 1580, made of three thousand pieces held together by pressure without the use of nails. In this place the notes of the
National Anthem of Peru The "" ("National Anthem of Peru"; also known as "", or "National March of Peru"; "", or "We are free!") is the national anthem of Peru. It was composed by José Bernardo Alcedo, and its lyrics were written by José de la Torre Ugarte in 1821. ...
were composed by
José Bernardo Alcedo José Bernardo Alzedo (August 20, 1788December 28, 1878) was a Peruvian composer. Alzedo was born in Lima, Peru. He studied music at the :es:Convento San Agustín (Cuzco), Convento de San Agustín and, at 18 years of age, composed the ''Misa en ...
.


Main cloister

Composed of four galleries, decorated with Sevillian azulejos dating from 1604 and 1606; the paintings that present passages of the life of Saint Dominic, founder of the Dominican order, were contracted in 1608 by the provincial superior of the Order of Saint Dominic in Peru with the Sevillians Miguel Güelles, disciple of Juan de Uceda and his collaborator, Domingo Carro.Halcón, Fátima, «El pintor Juan de Uceda: sus relaciones artísticas con Lima», ''Laboratorio de Arte'', 15 (2002), pp. 373-381, p. 379. At every corner of this cloister there is a reredos with biblical representations. These galleries have
artesonado Artesonado or Spanish ceiling is a term for coffer "a type of intricately joined wooden ceiling in which supplementary laths are interlaced into the rafters supporting the roof to form decorative geometric patterns", found in Spanish architecture. I ...
ceilings carved of oak from
Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...
; the cloister also features a bronze
home stoup A home stoup is a small stoup with a small bowl and a decorated plaque that Christians in the Roman Catholic, Anglican and Lutheran traditions, hang inside homes, either at the house's entrance or, more commonly, on a bedroom wall at the head of ...
, ordered to be built by the Dominicans, very famous for being where
St. Martin de Porres Martín de Porres Velázquez (9 December 1579 – 3 November 1639) was a Peruvian lay brother of the Dominican Order who was beatified in 1837 by Pope Gregory XVI and canonized in 1962 by Pope John XXIII. He is the patron saint of mixed-r ...
, according to the writer
Ricardo Palma Manuel Ricardo Palma Soriano (February 7, 1833 – October 6, 1919) was a Peruvian author, scholar, librarian and politician. His magnum opus is the ''Tradiciones peruanas''. Biography According to the official account, Manuel Ricardo Pa ...
, washed the bread of blond sugar turning it into white.
Santodomingolima02.jpg, The Sevillian azulejos of the cloister dated to 1606. Photo of 1900 Santo Domingo Convent, Lima, Peru - Laslovarga (3).jpg, The Sevillian azulejos dated to 1606 in the cloister Santo Domingo Lima, Kacheln aus Sevilla.jpg, Detail of Sevillian azulejos dated to 1606 inside the church Santo Domingo Convent, Lima, Peru - Laslovarga (7).jpg, Detail of Sevillian azulejos dated to 1606 inside the church


Library

One of the most worthy places to visit is the library, not only for the value of the writing works, but also for the coffered ceilings. This hall houses the oldest books that the Dominicans used, being among these,
incunable In the history of printing, an incunable or incunabulum (plural incunables or incunabula, respectively), is a book, pamphlet, or broadside that was printed in the earliest stages of printing in Europe, up to the year 1500. Incunabula were pr ...
s. The Library of the Convent has around 25,000 books, among them several bibliographical collections of great value. Currently it is in the space of the old dining room.


Second cloister

Of simpler construction, in a corner you can see a sculpture in marble from
Carrara Carrara ( , ; , ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, in central Italy, of the province of Massa and Carrara, and notable for the white or blue-grey marble quarried there. It is on the Carrione River, some Boxing the compass, west-northwest o ...
(Italy) that represents the Christ of the Column. Cloister composed of two floors; the first one presents arches with bossages, and the second floor with baluster of trilobulated arcs.


Chapel of St. Martin de Porres

Place where
St. Martin de Porres Martín de Porres Velázquez (9 December 1579 – 3 November 1639) was a Peruvian lay brother of the Dominican Order who was beatified in 1837 by Pope Gregory XVI and canonized in 1962 by Pope John XXIII. He is the patron saint of mixed-r ...
had its cell being destroyed by the earthquake of 1746. Due to the faithful and donations of the Church, a chapel is built in the place where he also had his nursery. It has an altar where its effige is venerated, having to its sides to
Saint Dominic Saint Dominic ( es, Santo Domingo; 8 August 1170 – 6 August 1221), also known as Dominic de Guzmán (), was a Castilian Catholic priest, mystic, the founder of the Dominican Order and is the patron saint of astronomers and natural scientis ...
and
St. Francis of Assisi Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone, better known as Saint Francis of Assisi ( it, Francesco d'Assisi; – 3 October 1226), was a mystic Italian Catholic friar, founder of the Franciscans, and one of the most venerated figures in Christianit ...
and in the superior part the Virgin of the Rosary. In the burial rest his remains and an urn where the timbers of his bed are conserved. On the walls you can see paintings depicting Martin de Porres's miracles. In the back of the chapel is located his bedroom. Also it emphasizes the Oratory of the saint, small atmosphere under the stairs where Martin frequently prayed and was tempted by the devil. Today you can see the great amount of gifts brought to him by his faithful devotees. At the top is a wooden cross with which it is remembered that in this same place St. Martin removed the temptations of the evil one.


Tomb of Santa Rosa de Lima

Located in the place that was an old cemetery where the first religious of the order were buried. An ossuary of several meters of depth where the bones of the time were placed. The tomb of marble where the remains of St. Rose of Lima are buried, are in the center of the environment that is decorated with mosaics. On a memorial plaque it reads: ''"Hago donación de mi cuerpo a mis hermanos Dominicos"'' (I make a donation of my body to my Dominican brothers). This phrase explains the gratitude of having belonged to the Tertiary Dominican Order.


Colegio de Santo Tomás de Aquino

It was the year 1892 when the Dominican Order inaugurated the Colegio Santo Tomás de Aquino (College St. Thomas Aquinas), next to the convent of Santo Domingo, in the center of Lima. One hundred and twenty-five years later, the college retains its original location: Pasaje Rinconada de Santo Domingo 209, and still has a direct access from its main courtyard to the convent. It is the first and only educational center in Lima to be founded by the Dominican fathers, being its first director Friar Jordán Revilla. The college is marked by the history of the city. In the jirón Camaná, the street parallel to the Pasaje Rinconada de Santo Domingo, are located the facilities of the Post Office of Lima and the Iglesia Santo Domingo, in turn, in the calle Conde de Superunda, behind the college, is what was the Post and Telegraphs Office of Lima, now Museum of Gastronomy. The cloisters of the Convento de Santo Domingo, which are separated from the college only by a door, have a close relationship with the history of Education in Peru. It was founded in 1535 along with the city of Lima. There were the first classes of what is now the
National University of San Marcos The National University of San Marcos ( es, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, link=no, UNMSM) is a public research university located in Lima, the capital of Peru. It is considered the most important, recognized and representative educ ...
(UNMSM), also known as the Dean of the Americas. The frontis of Santo Tomás de Aquino has been mute witness of changes in the city. Several decades ago there was a parking car in front of the school; but later, the frontis was invaded by merchants that would form in that place the commercial center Polvos Azules. In 1997, during the management of the defunct Alberto Andrade, this center would be relocated and the space would at today the Alameda Chabuca Granda. Another recent change in the infrastructure surrounding the college was the construction of the Puente Rayitos de Sol bridge, during the management of former mayor Luis Castañeda Lossio. This bridge connects to the Chabuca Granda mall with the Santa Rosa whereabouts on the Vía de Evitamiento road. Today, a track is being built underneath the Rímac River, located opposite the college, which is part of the Vía Parque Rímac. But the Colegio Santo Tomás de Aquino has also varied with time; in the beginning the college was only for men during more than 100 years; only from the year 1994 the admission for women was accepted, becoming a mixed educational center. In addition, since 2010, Inés Rossi Rossi is the director of the college, a fact that for Aquinense college is a milestone in its history, since its creation always had only directors and belonging to the Dominican Order.


See also

*
List of buildings in Lima This is a list of notable buildings in Lima, the capital of the Peru. The Historic Centre of Lima is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991. List Pre-Columbian sites Important Colonial buildings References

{{Reflist Buildings and stru ...


References


Bibliography

* Juan Meléndez, O.P. "Tesoros Verdaderos de Indias", 1681. * ''Collection “Documental del Perú”, Departamento de Lima, Volume XV, Third Edition, April 1973, "SANTO DOMINGO, Santa Rosa y San Martín de Porras descansan bajo su mole", pages 46–48. * “ITINERARIOS DE LIMA” by Héctor Velarde, Patronage of Lima, Second Edition, 1990, "Convento e Iglesia de Santo Domingo", pages 37–41. * "GUIDE TO PERU", Handbook for travelers, 6th. Edition, by Gonzalo de Reparaz Ruiz, publisher Ediciones de Arte Rep, Lima - Peru, Book published in English by the Tourism Promotion Fund of Peru - FOPTUR, "SANTO DOMINGO (Church and Convent of)", pages 102-103 * Felipe Acosta Burga, "Atractivos de Lima", Publisher
National Police of Peru The Peruvian National Police ( es, Policía Nacional del Perú, PNP) is the national police force of Peru. Its jurisdiction covers the nation's land, sea, and air territories. Formed from the merge of the Investigative Police, the Civil Guard, a ...
,
Lima Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of t ...
, 1997. * Convento de Santo Domingo, "Álbum del Convento de Santo Domingo en el cuarto centenario de su fundación con la ciudad de Lima, 18 de enero de 1535-18 de enero de 1935", Publisher Excelsior, Lima, 1935. * Genealogical information of Friar Diego Maroto, Dominican, native to Camarena (Toledo Province), pretender to notary of the Court of the Inquisition of Lima 1660–1662. document published by the Ministry of Education of Spain. Located by Gabriela Lavarello de Velaochaga


External links


Order of Preachers of Peru, Dominican Community

Radio Santa Rosa

Colegio Santo Tomás de Aquino
{{Authority control Roman Catholic churches in Lima 1530s establishments in the Spanish Empire Roman Catholic churches completed in 1766 Rococo architecture in Peru Mudéjar architecture Dominican convents Basilica churches in Peru Azulejos in Peru Burials in Peru Libraries in Peru 18th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Peru