Cathedral Basilica of Lima

Brief information

The modern Cathedral of Lima is already the third building on this site, and its appearance reads as the result not of a single project, but of several restorations. The first church appeared shortly after the city was founded, but earthquakes repeatedly destroyed the vaults, roof, and columns. As a result, different solutions ended up side by side in the cathedral: Gothic forms, a Renaissance interior, Baroque traces, and later classicism.

This history matters not in itself, but because it explains the building’s mixed appearance. Here, the reconstructions are not completely hidden: they are visible in the structure, decoration, and towers. One particular fact changes the way one sees the cathedral more than the chronology does: inside is the tomb of Francisco Pizarro, the founder of Lima, because of whom the city’s first church appeared on this very site.

What to notice first

It is worth comparing the rectangular main hall with its Gothic vaults. The hall was conceived in relation to Seville Cathedral, while the vaults were rebuilt lower after an earthquake and decorated as a starry sky. The wooden ornaments are also connected with more than decoration: they were made this way to lighten the load on the roof in case of new tremors.

Another layer is visible in details from different eras. In the central part, the interior is executed in the Renaissance style: the niches are decorated with images of the apostles, and a large image of Christ is placed in the center. The two tall bell towers already belong to classicism, with the influence of the Northern European school. The altars show yet another replacement: the original Baroque altars gave way to neoclassical ones. The cathedral is best read through these mismatches, because they are precisely what reveal its long reconstruction.