The Church and Monastery of Our Lady of Mount Carmel () is a

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

in the colonial area of the neighbourhood of

Barrios Altos Barrios Altos is a Peruvian neighbourhood that forms the eastern part of Lima District, part of the historic centre of the city. It owes its name to the fact that, topographically, it is higher than the rest of the old part of the City, due to t ...

Lima Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

. Located in the corner of Huánuco and Junín streets, its first building dates back to the 17th century. Since then the structure has undergone multiple changes, many of them due to the

earthquake An earthquakealso called a quake, tremor, or tembloris the shaking of the Earth's surface resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from those so weak they ...

s that have been recorded in the

history of Lima The history of Lima, the capital of Peru, began with its foundation by Francisco Pizarro on January 18, 1535. The city was established on the valley of the Rímac River in an area populated by the Ichma polity. It became the capital of the Vicer ...

. The current

façade A façade or facade (; ) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loanword from the French language, French (), which means "frontage" or "face". In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important asp ...

is in the

Rococo Rococo, less commonly Roccoco ( , ; or ), also known as Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and dramatic style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpte ...

style.

History

At the beginning of the 17th century, a retreat for poor girls called Nuestra Señora del Carmen was founded in the place where the temple now occupies. In 1625 it became a

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

, and in 1643 the Monastery of the Carmelites or ''Nuestra Señora del Carmen Antiguo'' (or Alto) was inaugurated. The earthquakes have caused serious damage. Those of

1687 Events January–March * January 3 – With the end of latest of the Savoyard–Waldensian wars in the Duchy of Savoy between the Savoyard government and Protestant Italians known as the Waldensians, Victor Amadeus III, Duke o ...

and

1940 A calendar from 1940 according to the Gregorian calendar, factoring in the dates of Easter and related holidays, cannot be used again until the year 5280. Events Below, events related to World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January *Janu ...

involved important changes in its plant.

Overview

The first level of the cloister remains from the 1645 building. In its beginnings the temple had an Isabelline Gothic plan, but after the earthquake of 1687 it was modified to a Latin cross. This was characterized by its niche chapels and a short transept, as well as pilasters and corbels with railings on the walls to support the

transverse arch In architecture, a transverse arch is an arch in a vaulted building that goes across the barrel vault. A series of transverse arches sitting on tops of the columns on the sides of the nave was typical in the churches of Romanesque architecture ( ...

es of the half-barrel vaults with lunettes. The church has two choirs on inside: one high and one low. The ''

Virgen del Carmen Virgen is a municipality in the district of Lienz in the Austrian state of Tyrol. It includes part of the Virgen valley in the Venediger Group mountain range, and extensive parts of the municipality are in High Tauern National Park. The history o ...

'' that is housed inside has received decorations such as Queen and Patroness of Creoleism, Mayor of Lima and custodian of the keys to the city, Medal of Honor from the

Congress of Peru The Congress of the Republic of Peru () is the unicameral body that assumes legislative power in Peru. Due to broadly interpreted impeachment wording in the Constitution of Peru, the President of Peru can be removed by Congress without cause, ...

: Grand Cross Degree, among others. The church can be visited from 9 to 11 in the morning, and from 4 to 5:30 in the afternoon. Masses are given from Monday to Saturday at 7 in the morning and on Sundays also at 10 in the morning and 7 at night. Masses are also offered by the Virgen del Carmen Brotherhood, every second Sunday at 11 in the morning and masses by the children's brotherhood, every fourth Sunday, at the same time. In the month of July, masses are held in honor of the Virgin of Carmen. Pieces of religious art and sweets made by the

Carmelite The Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel (; abbreviated OCarm), known as the Carmelites or sometimes by synecdoche known simply as Carmel, is a mendicant order in the Catholic Church for both men and women. Histo ...

sisters can also be purchased.

References

{{Lima landmarks Buildings and structures completed in the 17th century Barrios Altos

History

Overview

See also

References