The Cathedral Basilica of Lima, commonly known as the Metropolitan Cathedral of Lima, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Lima, Peru. It is the seat of the Archdiocese of Lima. Its construction began in 1535 by Francisco Pizarro and was completed in 1797, having been built in its present form between 1602 and 1797. Its patron saint is Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist, to whom it is dedicated.
Located on the eastern limit of the Plaza Mayor, at the second block of the Jirón Carabaya, and is part of the Historic Centre of Lima. The Archbishop's Palace and Iglesia del Sagrario are located beside the cathedral. It is the oldest and largest church in Peru.
History
The Cathedral of Lima was built on the site of the Inca shrine of the Puma Inti and the palace of the Cuscoan prince Sinchi Puma, a direct descendant of the Inca Sinchi Roca.
When Francisco Pizarro founded Lima, he assigned a plot of land to the church, making Sinchi Puma renounce his assets on paper certified by a notary, so that the occupation of the site chosen for the church would not mean usurpation of ownership.
In 1535, Pizarro laid the first stone and carried, in a public demonstration of faith and humility, the first wood for the construction of the church (first cathedral), which was built under the patronage of Our Lady of the Assumption, finishing the construction in 1538 and inaugurated on 11 March 1540, placing the Blessed Sacrament for the first time that day.
After the disputes between Diego de Almagro and Pizarro, and after having established the Viceroyalty of Peru, Pope Paul III, taking into account the growth of the city of Lima, issued a bull on 14 May 1541 creating the Diocese of Lima and raising the small church to the category of cathedral which began to be built in 1542 during the government of Cristóbal Vaca de Castro. Francisca Pizarro Yupanqui, daughter of the founder of Lima, contributed the considerable sum of five thousand golden pesos for the construction of the new cathedral, which came to cost fifteen thousand golden pesos, thanking the King of Spain through a real cédula of 19 March 1552.
On 8 October 1549, the Cabildo of Lima discussed that it would be convenient for the cathedral to have a clock and decreed that one be purchased that had been brought from Spain at the time.
With the changes introduced by the peacemaker Pedro de la Gasca to give it greater distinction, the new church (second cathedral) begun by Cristóbal Vaca de Castro was inaugurated in 1552 by Archbishop Jerónimo de Loayza. This was a small building – 9 x 19 m – very modest and narrow, and for its foundations reddish stone was brought from a quarry in Lunahuaná. The new cathedral later had Saint John the Evangelist as its patron saint.
Reconstruction efforts
Later, when the city of Lima became an Archbishopric, the construction of a new cathedral was considered in accordance with the rise in status of the episcopate of Lima, as well as with its population growth. In 1564 Archbishop Jerónimo de Loayza decided on a sumptuous building to rival the most famous cathedrals in Spain (such as Seville Cathedral then, and now the largest in Spain), thus beginning a change in dimensions. The work began with the demolition of the primitive adobe walls, but the new construction would not be completed.
Master builder Alonso Gonzales Beltrán was given the task, in 1564, of designing a large church with three naves and side chapels. But his project, inspired by the Seville Cathedral, turned out to be too grandiose and costly.
When Viceroy Martín Enríquez de Almanza arrived, in 1581, being Archbishop of Lima Toribio de Mogrovejo, arranged for a new cathedral to be built and in 1585 the Trujilloan architect Francisco Becerra, who had made plans for several buildings in Mexico and Quito, was called from Cusco, where, at the time, he was working, and was in charge of the construction of the third cathedral. Becerra made a new plan (considered to be the plan on which the existing cathedral is based) that took, in part, the cathedrals of Jaén and Seville as models. The first had three naves, like the one in Lima, the second had five, but there are doors in the arms of the crossing, three doors in the main façade and a side courtyard called, as in the Cathedral of Lima, the Patio de los Naranjos, which is reached through the side door that is to the left. The definitive layout of the cathedral, made by Becerra, resulted in a Renaissance-style church, with a wide floor plan and 3 large naves and two side chapels.
The Cathedral of Lima is a temple with three naves with two more chapels and a flat closing wall. (...) The three naves are of the same height, as in the one in Jaén. This last one was the immediate precedent of the two Peruvian cathedrals.
— Taken from El Arte Hispanoamericano (1988).
In 1602, the church was still "an old shack-type, covered with straw with much indecency" according to a letter that Philip III of Spain sent to Archbishop Toribio de Mogrovejo in which he urged him to hurry up with the construction work.
In 1604 the first part of the third cathedral was inaugurated. When Becerra died in 1605, only half of the church was built.
The final plan was designed immediately after the 1606 earthquake, although another in 1609 threatened to destroy the entire building, damaging the vaults of the built part. Discussions were held on the best means of defense against seismic movements: the Chief Architect, Juan Martínez de Arrona, supported the idea of brick vaults, but several members of the Cabildo or Municipal Council considered that it would be better to cover the cathedral with wood. Tired of the need to find a solution to the problem, they appointed Bartolomé Lorenzo as Advisor to Arrona. Finally, in October 1625, the naves of the main part of the third cathedral were consecrated. The main entrance (designed by Arrona) was completed in 1632, and the towers in 1649. The 1687 earthquake caused much damage to the cathedral, and despite all the precautions taken in construction, the 1746 earthquake damaged the structure again and almost reduced it to ruins, requiring a new reconstruction, the Viceroy José Antonio Manso de Velasco ruled at the time, who ordered a new cathedral to be built in the same place in 1758. The existing building is a reconstruction, which, by order of the Viceroy José Antonio Manso de Velasco, undertook -following the old plans- the Jesuit Juan Rher (born in Prague).
Rher took full advantage of the use of wood and quincha in the ribbed vaults, rebuilt the Renaissance stone doorway and advanced the work quite a bit, leaving the bell towers unfinished for a long time.
The reconstruction was carried out in three parts, the first culminated in 1755, the second in 1758 and the last in 1778. Between the years 1794 and 1797 the current bell towers of the cathedral, which remained unfinished, were rebuilt being finished by the Presbyter Matías Maestro.
In the left tower is the bell called "la Cantabria", which weighs 300 quintals and was cast in Lima. On the right "la Purísima", of 150 quintals, and "la Vieja", of 55 quintals.
In its interior aspect as in the exterior, the first church of Peru, which holds the title of Metropolitan Basilica, has undergone many notable changes. Baroque, Gothic and Neoclassical elements have been mixed in this way. A substantial change was the transfer of the choir to the presbytery as well as the removal of most of the Baroque altars and ornaments that it originally had for the early-19th century Renaissance ones. These transformations began in 1804, in accordance with the neoclassical currents prevailing at the time. In 1891, the supposed remains of the founder of Lima (Francisco Pizarro) were moved to the cathedral and placed in the Chapel of la adoración de los Reyes, the third on the left hand side, where they rested until the mausoleum was built in which, currently, The authentic remains found in 1977 are preserved.
On 28 May 1921, recognition was conferred as a minor Basilica under the name of Catedral Basílica San Juan Apóstol y Evangelista.
The earthquake of 1940 caused damage to the cathedral and for this reason a restoration work was undertaken whose direction was entrusted to Emilio Harth Terré.
Alleged treasure
A well known urban legend is that, in 1820, a vast amount treasure, which is known as the so-called Treasure of Lima, was hidden in the cathedral by the citizens of Lima. According to the legend, subsequently, to save it from José de San Martín's revolutionary armies, it was placed on a British vessel, which was anchored in the harbor; however, the ship's captain killed the guards and fled to Cocos Island, where he buried the treasure. Allegedly, years later, treasure hunters still tried to find legendary lost treasure of Lima. Underscoring this legend are several facts:
- In 1855, a New York newspaper printed an 1854 letter from San Francisco, California, which recounted that there was going to be a treasure expedition to Cocos Island based on a near-deathbed confession. Only, in this account, the treasure did not come from Lima but was said to be from a Spanish gallon that had been captured in 1816 by pirates and buried on Cocos Island.
- August Gissler, who lived on Cocos Island from 1889 to 1908, also had an unsuccessfully quest for treasure: in over twenty years, he never found more than six gold coins despite diligently searching.
- By 1929, a version of the so-called Cathedral of Lima/Treasure of Lima Legend was printed in an American newspaper.
Recent history
Since 1991, the cathedral has been included as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Historic Center of Lima.
In recent years, under the pastoral care of Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani Thorne and with the support of private companies, numerous and meticulous restoration works have been carried out on the cathedral and its works of art, as well as the improvement of its illumination, culminating the works in 2004, year of the 400th anniversary of the inauguration of the first built part of the third Cathedral.
In 2005, to enhance the appearance of the façade night, new exterior lighting was installed as part of the project called "Circuito Turístico de la Luz", which was carried out at the initiative of the mayor of Lima Luis Castañeda to improve the Historic Centre of Lima.
In addition to the Cathedral of Lima, the Government Palace and the Palacio Municipal de Lima were also considered within the group of buildings illuminated by the Municipality of Lima and the Grupo Endesa.
During the week, the cathedral offers tourists the religious site as a museum, which preserves notable artistic works from colonial times.
Overview
Exterior
The façade of the Cathedral of Lima is in the Renaissance style with Plateresque decorations. Its tall towers with slate spires are Neoclassical with stylistic influences from El Escorial School and Northern Europe.
It has three doors, as in most cathedrals. The main one (the one in the center) is called Puerta del Perdón, the right side is called Puerta de la Epístola and the left side is called Puerta del Evangelio.
There are also two side doors, one that leads to the Calle de Judíos (right side) and another that leads to the Patio de los Naranjos (inner courtyard attached to the cathedral). In the back of the cathedral (Calle de Santa Apolonia) there are 2 other portals: Santa Apolonia and San Cristóbal.
On the main façade you can see statues of the Apostles, and in the central niche, the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Currently, in the upper part you can see the coat of arms of Peru, in the place where the coat of arms of the city of Lima was originally located together with the phrase Plus Ultra.
Next to the cathedral are the Church of the Sanctuary (one of the oldest in Lima) and the Archbishop's Palace, seat of the ecclesiastical government of Lima.
Interior
The Cathedral of Lima shows several styles, from late Gothic, Renaissance to Baroque and Plateresque, due to the date of the start of construction, the architectural style is Renaissance. It has a rectangular hall plan, emulating the Cathedral of Seville. The ceiling is supported by Gothic ribbed vaults that recreate a starry sky, which are made of wood and stucco to relieve the weight on the walls and prevent them from collapsing in the event of an earthquake.
Originally its altars were Baroque in style, some of them being replaced by Neoclassical altars. The choir stalls, although presenting a Renaissance tradition, have an eclectic layout. In its chapels and sacristy it preserves works by the most famous sculptors of the colonial era in Peru.