Iglesia de San Francisco

Cajamarca


Outgunning the cathedral on Plaza de Armas is this elaborate church with striking stone carvings and decadent altars. Unlike other illustrious Cajamarca churches, the San Francisco has two belfries. It houses the slightly dog-eared Museo de Arte Religioso full of 17th-century religious paintings by indigenous artists. The museum includes some creepy catacombs – in one room you'll see the orderly tombs of monks, and in another are skeletons recovered from indigenous graves found at the site, lying bare and without ceremony.

The intricately sculpted Capilla de la Dolorosa to the right of the nave is considered one of the finest chapels in the city. Look out for a depiction of the Last Supper carved in stone on the left side of the altar.


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