Iglesia de Santo Domingo

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Lonely Planet review

The church of Santo Domingo is most famous as the site of Qorikancha, which was Cuzco's major Incan temple. It has twice been destroyed by earthquakes, in 1650 and 1950, as well as being damaged in the 1986 earthquake - photographs in the entrance show the extent of the 1950 damage. Also in the entrance is a doorway carved in Arabic style - a reminder of the centuries of Moorish domination in Spain.

The remains of the Incan temple are inside the cloister. Colonial paintings around the outside of the courtyard depict the life of Santo Domingo (Saint Dominic) and contain several representations of dogs holding torches in their jaws - these are God's guard dogs ( dominicanus in Latin), hence the name of this religious order.