Iglesia de San Martín

Potosí


The rather ordinary-looking Iglesia de San Martín was built in the 1600s and is today run by the French Redemptionist Fathers. Inside is an art museum, with at least 30 paintings beneath the choir depicting the Virgin Mary and the 12 Apostles. The Virgin on the altarpiece wears clothing woven from silver threads. San Martín is outside the center and is sometimes closed, so phone before traipsing out here.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Potosí attractions

1. Casa de las Tres Portadas

0.26 MILES

An architecturally notable home that once housed lay sisters of the Franciscan order. It has three separate and widely spaced doorways with finely…

2. Iglesia de la Merced

0.26 MILES

Constructed between 1555 and 1687, the restored Iglesia de la Merced has a carved pulpit, a gorgeous wooden ceiling and a beautiful 18th-century silver…

3. Pasaje de Siete Vueltas

0.35 MILES

This passageway, an extension of Calle Ingavi, east of Junín, wends around a series of angular turns, displaying some interesting architectural quirks…

4. La Catedral

0.36 MILES

Construction of La Catedral was initiated in 1564 and finally completed around 1600. The original building lasted until the early 19th century, when it…

5. Bell Tower

0.37 MILES

Visit the bell tower of Potosí's central cathedral for nice views of the city. The side entrance is hard to spot.

6. Portón Mestizo

0.38 MILES

On Calle Junín, between Matos and Bolívar, this especially lovely and elaborate doorway, flanked by twisted columns, once graced the home of the Marqués…

7. Museo y Convento de San Francisco

0.38 MILES

This convent, founded in 1547 by Fray Gaspar de Valverde, is the oldest monastery in Bolivia. Owing to its inadequate size, it was demolished in 1707 and…

8. El Cabildo

0.42 MILES

City Hall is housed in an elaborately designed colonial-era building with an ornately carved portal occupying the western side of Plaza 10 de Noviembre.