Peru, in western South America, is a diverse and ancient country. Once the home of the Inca, who left behind incredible cities within dense jungle and at unbelievable heights.
Peru is one of the most visited countries in South America. This can be easily explained as it is home to ancient ruins, impressive architecture and countless natural wonders.
In this article, we will introduce 5 most famous buildings in Peru for your reference:
1.Plaza de Armas, Peru
The Plaza de Armas of Lima is the founding site of the city of Lima , capital of Peru . It's the main public space of the city. It is located in the historic center of Lima , around it rise soberly the Government Palace of Peru , the Cathedral of Lima , the Church of the Sagrario , the Archbishop's Palace of Lima , the Municipal Palace of Lima and the Club de la Unión . The Municipality and the Cathedral face to face testify to the seal of the Hispanic trace.
In 1821, José de San Martín proclaimed the Independence of Peru in this plaza, after which he went out in a procession carrying the new flag of Peru . In 1855, the then president , Ramón Castilla , inaugurated the first gas public lighting system by virtue of which the first posts were laid in the square and, for the first time, the garden area was laid out since, until that date , the square was a large piece of land without much paving.
In 1860, the laying of rails for the first trams that were pulled by horses and beasts of burden began and, with the construction of the Lima Penitentiary , the prisons were no longer in the Government Palace and the Cabildo. 3 Finally, in the 20th century the definitive transformations of the Plaza de Armas took place. In 1922, the final construction of the Archbishop's Palace was finished . In 1938, that of the Government Palace and in 1944 the Municipal Palace . Already in 1940 the standardization of the neocolonial style was arranged through the construction of the Escribanos and Botaneros portals in the southern part of the square and its buildings with wooden balconies.
2.Palacio de Goyeneche, Peru
The Goyeneche Palace is one of the best-known and most touristic civil constructions in Arequipa , Peru . Located at the confluence of the Calles de la Merced and the Palacio Viejo, on a site that appeared in the primitive urban layout that, before the founding of Arequipa, was approved by Francisco Pizarro . The architect Gaspar Báez built this house in the 18th century on the ruins of an old small palace (old palace) built in 1558 by Bernardino de Ávila.
Since the acquisition and remodeling of the palace by the Goyeneche family, the building had two floors, large patios, a set of columns on the façade, and a portico and hall "with the necessary height so that an armed knight with an upright French lance could enter without dismounting."as mandated by the old prescription that was both an architectural indication and a sign of nobility and elegance for the building. The doorway has a horizontal balcony that occupies the entire width of its front with wrought iron railings. It has a beautiful spiral staircase built in ashlar and that allows access to the second floor, which also shows parapet balconies, doors and windows from the colonial era and a superb black stone fountain in the main patio.The interior is made up of rooms with large vaults that, through Despite the dispersion that existed in the forties of the 20th century, they still house colonial paintings from the Cusco School, artistic grills, sacred images carved in wood as well as old portraits of the Goyeneche family.
Archbishop Palace, Peru
The Archbishop's Palace of Lima, the capital of Peru, is the residence of the Archbishop of Lima, and the administrative headquarters of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Lima. It is located on the Plaza Mayor of Lima, in the Historic Centre of Lima.
Located on the land that Francisco Pizarro allocated to be the residence of the head priest of Lima after the foundation of the city in 1535, the current building was opened on December 8, 1924, and is considered a prime example of neo-colonial architectural that developed in Lima during the early twentieth century.
The old Archbishop's Palace was built on the place the Limean cabildo had occupied from 1535 to 1548, when that institution moved to its current location across the square. The building had six balconies of different styles and several entrances, displaying the Archdiocese coat of arms above the main gate. The architectural features of the courtyard were similar to those of several cloisters in the city. The old palace façade was demolished in the late 19th century along the Sagrario. The remaining structure was demolished prior to the construction of the present Archbishop's palace.
The current building was designed by the Polish Peruvian architect Ricardo de Jaxa Malachowski, who used the Torre Tagle Palace as a reference point. Erected joined to the Cathedral of Lima, the location formerly belonged to the city's first police station and the city's first jail. After Pope Paul III designated this temple as the primary church headquarters of the city, the location became the current location of the Archdiocese.
The facade is made up of baroque elements, completely made of reintegrated rock; ornate cedar balconies are located over the main doors, and the palace is finished by a granite sculpture of Saint Turibius of Mongrovejo the patron protector of the Archdiocese. The palace also consists of two flagpoles, one for the Peruvian flag and another for the flag of the Vatican. The interior is completely ornate and is home to a sculpture of Santa Barbara the patron of Cuba. The ceiling is illuminated by famous French stained glass windows allowing the entry of light. The interior also contains marble staircases with wooden handrails which allow access to the second story.
Monastery of San Francisco, Peru
The monumental complex of the Basilica and Convent of San Francisco of Lima, also known as "San Francisco el Grande" or "San Francisco de Jesús", is located in the Historic Center of Lima, Peru. This church together with the Sanctuary Nuestra Señora de la Soledad and the Church del Milagro set up one of the welcoming and artistic corners of Lima. Ramón Menéndez Pidal, Spanish philologist and scholar in this regard commented: "It is the largest and noblest monument that was erected in these prodigious lands during the conquest".
The church and convent are part of the Historic Centre of Lima, which was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1991.
The San Francisco Archive is the place where the historical documents of the Franciscan province of the 12 apostles of Peru are preserved. Here are the handwritten proofs of the negotiations carried out with Spain and Rome by the Franciscan Order since its arrival in the Americas, especially in Peru. There is also graphic material such as maps, photographic plans, musical material and a small auxiliary library. They are currently organizing it in a systematic way to be more useful to its users, starting these works in 1983, and counting since 1987 with the help of UNESCO.
The building includes catacombs, which were the old cemetery in colonial times. It operated as such until 1810 and it is estimated that at that time it must have housed up to 70,000 people. Today the different rooms contain a good number of bones classified by type and arranged on some occasions in a rather artistic fashion, such as those in the mass grave. Some doors of this crypt, according to some hypotheses, lead to corridors that communicate with other churches and even with the Government Palace. The catacombs were discovered in 1951.
Torre Tagle Palace, Peru
The Palacio de Torre Tagle is a building built during the colonial era of Peru that currently serves as the main headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Peru. It is located in the Jirón Ucayali in the historic center of Lima, two blocks southeast of the Plaza Mayor de Lima.
It comprises a built area of 1699 m². The materials used in the construction of the Palacio de Torre Tagle were brought from Spain, Panama and other Central American countries.
The mansion was built at the early-18th century and was completed in 1735 for José Bernardo de Tagle Bracho who, on November 26, 1730, King Philip V of Spain, by virtue of his extensive services to the Crown, granted the title of Marquis of Torre Tagle, thus making him the founder of that marquessate.
The Peruvian State acquired the colonial building on June 27, 1918 for the sum of S/. 320,000 to the heirs of Ricardo Ortiz de Zevallos y Tagle, 4th Marquis of Torre Tagle. It was restored in 1956 by the Spanish architect Andrés Boyer, it is currently, since 1918, the main headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Peru and the National Directorate of State Ceremonial and Protocol.
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