Santa Catalina Monastery is renowned as the most colorful attraction in the White City of Arequipa. Built in 1579, the monastery was once home to 450 nuns and their servants. Over the centuries, it has been enlarged to become a walled city within a city, covering 20000 square meters and taking up almost an entire city block.
Just like the ancient Spanish buildings in Arequipa, most buildings in the monastery were built with sillar, the white volcanic rock with decorative features. The design is influenced by Spanish styles, and fused with intrinsic elements that give the complex a colonial feel. However, the white sillar stone walls have been painted either in azure blue or deep burnt coral colors.
The Monastery features a maze of winding alleys and narrow streets, well-kept courtyards and ornate gardens, private rooms with small patios, churches and chapels, secret plazas and some common areas. It’s a religious complex with an interesting history, featuring many religious relics to see.
The Santa Catalina de Siena Monastery is one of Arequipa’s most colorful and popular attractions where you can step back 400 years in time.
For more information on visits to Santa Catalina de Siena Monastery, please contact one of our Travel Designers phone us at 1-888-DDHRM09
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