What to See in Arequipa - Top Sights and Attractions

Dominican monastery offering tours. The Monastery of Santa Catalina de Siena is a monastery of nuns of the Dominican Second Order, located in Arequipa, Peru.^[1]

The "Casa del Moral" is a large ancestral house built around 1730 in Arequipa, Peru. Favored by tourists, it is one of the best and well-preserved samples of Andean Baroque civil architecture in Peru. The name of the house derives from the emblematic presence of a centennial tree of "moras" in the center of the main patio of the large house.

The Casa del Moral houses a collection of paintings from the "Escuela Cusqueña", a colonial art form. Its library contains more than 3,000 volumes, primarily hispanic literature. The house is currently the property of the Peruvian bank Bancosur.^[2]

Huge cathedral with a religious museum. The Basilica Cathedral of Arequipa is located in the "Plaza de Armas" of the city of Arequipa, province of Arequipa, Peru. It is the most important Catholic church of the city and also of the larger Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Arequipa since it is the base of the Archbishop and the Metropolitan Council. The cathedral is also considered one of Peru's most unusual and famous colonial cathedrals since the Spanish conquest.^[3]

Building in the Sachaca District, Peru. Goyeneche Palace or Casa Goyeneche is a 17th-century manorial house in the city of Arequipa, Peru. It attracts tourists interested in observing colonial architecture in Peru. Located on La Merced street, the house looks much the same as other manorial houses of those times. It has ample patios, arched ceilings, doors and windows in typical colonial baroque style as well as a balcony.

In the eighteenth century the building was acquired by the Goyeneche family from northern Spain. The façade shows the shield of Jose Sebastian de Goyeneche, bishop of Arequipa and later archbishop of Lima. Nowadays it hosts the Banco Central de Reserva branch offices in Arequipa.^[4]

The Plaza de Armas of Arequipa is one of the main public spaces of Arequipa and the place of foundation of the city. It is located in the historic center of Arequipa, around it is the Cathedral of Arequipa in the north, the Portales de Arequipa to the east, south and west, La Iglesia La Compañía to the south-east, La Iglesia Nuestra Señora de la Merced to the south-west and in the center of the square a bronze fountain.

The Church of the Company is one of the numerous churches located in the Historical Center of Arequipa. It is located between the Portal de la Municipalidad and the Portal de Flores. Temple erected by the Company of Jesus in the Peruvian city of Arequipa, one of the most outstanding examples of the so-called mestizo architecture.

In the interior of the temple you can appreciate carved wooden altarpieces covered with gold leaf. In the sacristy is the chapel of San Ignacio, with polychrome murals showing tropical flora and fauna. The cloisters were built in the 18th century.

Museum in Arequipa, Peru. The Andean Sanctuaries Museum is a archaeological museum in Arequipa, Peru.^[5]

Historic walking areas, Church, Architecture, Sacred and religious sites, Historical place

Museum, History museum, Art museum, Specialty museum

Church

Museum, Art museum