Monastery of Santa Catalina in Peru

Located in the city of Arequipa, the Monastery of Santa Catalina was originally built in 1580, founded by wealthy widow Maria de Guzman. It had its start as a convent for women of the Spanish upper class who were chosen – often by tradition – to enter religious service. Records indicate that the women didn’t give up their luxurious lifestyle when entering the convent; each nun had several servants throughout their time at the monastery. In addition, the nuns threw gala parties to which they would invite the country’s best musicians to perform.

In the early days of the Monastery of Santa Catalina, each well-to-do family whose daughter entered the convent gave a large sum of money for the privilege. Hence, the convent amassed large amounts of money. This displeased many of the popes that observed the practices here and, eventually – more than 300 years after it was founded – Pope Pius IX sent someone to reform the monastery. Sister Josefa Cadena, known as a strict and God-fearing woman, returned the dowries to their owners and freed the servants who lived at the convent, though many chose to stay and become nuns.

At its peak, the monastery held about 450 individuals, only a third of whom were nuns. Today, only about 20 nuns live at Santa Catalina, which was refurbished after it was damaged by two earthquakes in the 1960s. Only a small portion remains for the nuns, who live in relative seclusion; the rest of the facility is open to the public and remains a popular Arequipa tourist attraction.

One of the prime reasons to visit the Monastery of Santa Catalina is to admire its architecture, which is Colonial in style but with a touch of native Mudejar (Moorish) elements as well. However, inside one can explore the “citadel”, a large complex of rooms, plazas, fountains, cobblestone streets and other buildings that cover an entire city block, all indicative of the opulent lifestyle these privileged nuns enjoyed at this convent. The nuns and servants rarely left the citadel and, hence, many locals viewed this as a place of great mystery. As a matter of fact, it wasn’t until the late 1960s that the monastery got electricity and running water and only because the mayor of Arequipa demanded it.

Today, guests can visit the Citadel and wander through the cobblestone pathways, which were open only because the monastery needed tourist money to make the improvements the local government was demanding. Upon entering, guests can book a 1.5-hour tour that is well worth the time it takes to explore this fascinating ecclesiastical structure. Many of the guides speak English, which isn’t often the case in Peru. There is no set price for the tour but a donation to the guide is expected. There’s also a small café/bakery on the premises, which is stocked by the nuns who live on the premises and is known for its excellent baked goods.

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