Santa Catalina Monastery - Arequipa, Peru
by Rebecca Hollman
updated Dec 4, 2018
Santa Catalina Monastery - Arequipa, Peru
The city within a city. Santa Catalina Monastery (or officially Monasterio de Santa Catalina de Siena), is essentially its own self-sufficient city walled within the surrounding city of Arequipa, Peru. Built in 1579, the convent has housed nuns for 439 years and continues to house a small group of nuns today. It is famous for its architecture, elaborate rooms, and vibrant colors, but especially for its unique nuns who were very well educated and enjoyed extreme luxuries and liberties compared to other nuns of the time. Walking around the monastery, you are transported to another time with its perfect condition and isolation from the outside world. The monastery sheds light on the colonialism of the Spanish, the importance of Catholicism in South America, and the juxtaposition of European and native South American viewpoints. This is one of the top things to do in Arequipa and you could easily spend a whole day wandering around the grounds and enjoying the serene peacefulness of the area.
Table of Contents
Fun Facts About Santa Catalina
Each courtyard/cloister housed about 20 nuns
Each nun had her own 4 room apartment complete with 1-2 servants (usually poor Peruvian women who come to the monastery for a better life and education)
Each cloister is painted in bright, vibrant colors. Orange means a public space and blue means the area is a private space for nuns only.
Most apartments had their own outside patio and garden with exotic plants
The nuns had fine imported furniture, carpets with gold thread, silk sheets, silver cutlery, and nice amenities in their apartment
The nuns regularly socialized with each other and went over to their friends apartment to sit around and talk, made meals for each other, and spent time in their gardens
All the women (including servants) were educated in European and Peruvian history and could speak both Spanish and Latin
The monastery was founded by a rich widow who only accepted nuns from wealthy families. This is why the monastery became so wealthy and luxurious. Eventually, the pope found out about the extravagance of the monastery and sent a nun to reform the convent.
The monastery welcomed refugees and orphans with open arms
Some nuns were allowed to have a young girl as a student (even if they had no intention of ever becoming a nun)
Many Peruvian girls choose being a nun for the rest of their lives over the typical arranged marriage fate of the time
It was Peruvian tradition that the second born son or daughter in a family would go into life in the church
The monastery only accepted girls to be nuns from upper class Spanish families and each family had to pay a dowry equivalent to $150,000 USD today to the church.
The entire complex is built out of sillar, or white volcanic stone. Arequipa is at the base of the famous volcano El Misti and is surrounded by other volcanoes.
Nuns were not allowed to leave the convent. Servants could leave to go run errands/etc. but had to bathe in holy water when they returned.
Nuns were allowed to talk to visitors from outside the convent, but only through a window barred with wooden latticework and a curtain to block the visitor from seeing the nun.
How to Get There
ENTRANCE: S/ 35 per person. Optional guides are available in English or Spanish. Be prepared to give them a S/ 10 to S/ 20 tip. Having a guide was extremely helpful since this complex is so huge and there is no posted information. The ladies who give the tours are so nice and informative so I suggest paying the extra 10-20 soles for the tour. It takes about an hour to walk around with a guide. We stayed for another hour afterwards just exploring by ourselves and taking pictures
HOURS: Open on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 8 AM to 8 PM. All other days, it is open from 9 AM to 5 PM.
