JESUIT
INSTITUTIONS |
Saint Peter the Apostle Church of Andahuaylillas
San Pedro Apóstol was built by Jesuits in the sixteenth century over a pre-Columbian huaca, or ceremonial space. The construction of the current church started in 1570 with the creation of a small chapel (the present apse and sanctuary). The nave and façade were completed in 1606. It is often called the "Sistine Chapel of the Andes" because of the beauty of its mural painting. Andahuaylillas is a small town located 25 miles from the city of Cusco, at 10,000 feet (3,100 meters) above sea level, its 6,000 inhabitants mainly involved in agriculture and cattle-raising. The stamp and cancel show the Coronation of the Immaculate Virgin, at the main altar of the Church.
The Jesuit Church, Cusco
PERU, 2009, Cultural Heritage of Humanity stamp features the Jesuit Church in Cusco, Scott 1696The Church of the Society of Jesus, one of the best examples of Baroque architecture in the Americas, was originally built in 1571 on the east side of the Plaza de Armas on land once occupied by the fabulous palace of the Inca Wuayna Qhapaq. The earthquake of 1650, however, destroyed the original church almost entirely and its rebuilding took another 18 years. The church was put up next to the Cusco cathedral which it easily rivals in grandeur and beauty, a fact that local authorities were not necessarily happy about.
St. Peter Church, Lima
PERU, 2006, Scott 1493 with its special FDI cancel
The Jesuits arrived in Peru in 1568. Among the earliest churches built was that of St. Peter, finished in 1638, one of the finest examples of religious, colonial and Baroque architecture in Peru. The interior is noted for gilded arches and altars, hand painted tiles, sculptures, and works by the Jesuit artist Br. Bernardo Bitti. Except for the time of the Suppression, the church has been the site of important Jesuit pastoral activity.
