Monastery of Santa Catalina


The monastery of Santa Catalina, or as it is also called "the colorful heart of the white city of Arequipa", is one of the most outstanding examples of the colonial Spanish style in Latin America. To be convinced of this, it is enough to walk at least once through its narrow streets, painted in eye-pleasing colors, and relax in the shade of evergreen plants.

From the history

The founder of the Santa Catalina convent in Peru is the rich widow Maria de Guzman. The structure was erected in 1580, but as a result of the strongest earthquakes in 1958 and 1960, part of the complex was destroyed. In 1970, after a complete restoration of the door of the monastery opened to tourists. Almost four centuries the monastery was completely closed from prying eyes, therefore in it the spirit of XVI-XVII centuries was saved.

Interesting Facts

In former times, the inhabitants of Arequipa obligatory sent their daughters who had reached the age of 12, as novices in the monastery of Santa Catalina. It was not only honorable, but also prestigious. Moreover, only those girls who belonged to the higher society of Spanish families were taken to the novices. After three years of obedience, the girls either left the monastery, or remained outside its walls. And although the monastery is designed for 450 people, now it is home to only 20 nuns.

Monument Attractions

The territory of the monastery is a peculiar city with its own streets, parks and squares. The nuns and novices pay special attention to the cultivation of flowers and plants. Here you can find a large oleander tree, many flowers from the family of magnoliaceae, pelargonium, citrus trees. Specially for the rest of the novices, there is a Silent Patio Silence Garden, beyond which there is a forbidden territory for laymen and novices. Straight from the garden of Silent Patio you find yourself in the blue part of the monastery. It is adorned with brightly blue walls, arcades, citrus trees and ubiquitous red pelargoniums.

The streets of the monastery of Santa Catalina are named after the largest Spanish cities: Burgos, Granada, Córdoba, Malaga, Seville and Toledo. Each street is made in its own unique style. For example, the Cordoba street is characterized by white color and laconic constructions, for Toledo street - walls made of volcanic tuff and richly decorated doorways, and for the street of Malaga - bright orange walls and lots of greenery.

One of the interesting attractions of the monastery is the laundry, in which water from the source falls into bowls of baked clay. Directly from the economic part of the monastery, on which the laundry is located, you can get to the streets of Burgos and Granada. These streets lead to a small square, decorated with a fountain with water hyacinth.

In the monastery of Santa Catalina there are ancient canvases of the XVII century, which depicts Santa Catalina itself (St. Catherine), in honor of which the monastery, the Virgin and many scenes from the Bible are named. Here you can also admire the statue of "The Holy Heart of Jesus Christ," carved from gilt cedar. At the monastery there is a museum in which works of art of the indigenous people of Peru are collected, including ritual clothing adorned with gold and silver threads. Upon completion of the tour, you can try pastries and creams prepared by nuns of Santa Catalina.

How to get there?

The monastery of Santa Catalina is located in the city of Arequipa, the popular resort of Peru . To get there, you need to drive by car, which can be rented , from the central bus station Terrapuerto Arequipa to the Bolivar stop, 150 meters from which it is located. You can also get here by using public transport services - just 2 blocks from the monastery there is a bus stop Melgar station.