The+Monastery+of+San+Francisco

The Monastery of San Francisco Lima, Peru

The Monastery of San Francisco was originally built in 1545, but it was destroyed by an earthquake in 1655. It was rebuilt and reopened in 1672. Although, the Monastery of San Francisco that we have today was finished in 1774. The original building was built by Francisco de Santa Ana when he came to Lima. The Monastery of San Francisco is known for its bone-lined catacombs.

The Catacombs of Saint Francis were discovered in 1943 and were Lima’s first cemetery. Experts say that the catacombs house the remains of up to 70,000 people. Even before the earthquake of 1655 that destroyed the original monastery, the bodies of deceased nobles and priests were kept in the catacombs. After the church was rebuilt the practice continued. To this day, the bodies are still in the catacombs.

If you went to the Monastery today, you would find it bigger than the original. But, it is very similar to the completely completed building in 1774. Anything that was damaged has been restored or recreated to match the original. When people see it, it is the like they’re seeing the exact same building from over 250 years earlier.

By: April Lanka