Santa Catalina Monastery is probably the most attractive monument you can experience in Arequipa.
In my poor opinion it's one of the most inspiring places of all Peru
The Monasterio de Santa Catalina is a cloistered convent located in Arequipa, Peru. It was built in 1580 and was enlarged in the 17th century. The over 20,000-square-meter monastery is predominantly of the Mudéjar style, and is characterised by the vividly painted walls. There are approximately 20 nuns currently living in the northern corner of the complex; the rest of the monastery is open to the public.
The founder of the monastery was a rich widow, Maria de Guzman. The tradition of the time indicated that the second son or daughter of a family would enter religious service, and the convent accepted only women from high-class Spanish families. Each nun at Santa Catalina had between one and four servants or slaves, and the nuns invited musicians to perform in the convent, gave parties and generally lived a lavish lifestyle. Each family paid a dowry at their daughter's entrance to the convent, and the dowry owed to gain the highest status, indicated by wearing a black veil, was 2,400 silver coins, equivalent to US$50,000 today. The nuns were also required to bring 25 listed items, including a statue, a painting, a lamp and clothes. The wealthiest nuns may have brought fine English china and silk curtains and rugs. Although it was possible for poorer nuns to enter the convent without paying a dowry, it can be seen from the cells that most of the nuns were very wealthy.
In 1871 Sister Josefa Cadena, a strict Dominican nun, was sent by Pope Pius IX to reform the monastery. She sent the rich dowries back to Europe, and freed all the servants and slaves, giving them the choice of remaining as nuns or leaving. In addition to the stories of outrageous wealth, there are tales of nuns becoming pregnant, and amazingly of the skeleton of a baby being discovered encased in a wall. This, in fact, did not happen in Santa Catalina, and there are rumours of the same story in the nearby Santa Rosa convent, as well.
The convent once housed approximately 450 people (about a third of them nuns and the rest servants) in a cloistered community. In the 1960s, it was struck twice by earthquakes, severely damaging the structures, and forcing the nuns to build new accommodation next door. It was then restored and opened to the public. This also helped pay for the installation of electricity and running water, as required by law.
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cobra112 (15589) 2011-09-05 12:26
Ciao Silvio! In giro per il mondo sei sempre tra i grandi. Scelta prospettica di lusso con notevole impatto cromatico.
grigand (20003) 2011-09-05 13:17
Ottimo il taglio e i colori
ricochet (9696) 2011-09-05 13:19
Joli coup d'oeil pour cette composition graphique très colorée et bien cadrée, bravo à toi et bonne soirée
lousat (89918) 2011-09-05 16:26
Ammazza che bel giro che hai scelto per Agosto,chissa' che figata Peru' e Bolivia....dopo la foto in rosa dei fenicotteri che ti invidiano a morte anche i membri di treknature,ecco una composizione con un soggetto classico ma con colori entusiasmanti,cattura impeccabile dei dettagli e perfetta luce.Buon Martedi' e complimenti,Luciano
npecanhuk (74914) 2011-09-05 19:14
Highlights here are the composition, exposure and colors!
Very good idea and very good photo work!
TFS - congrats,
emka (95349) 2011-09-05 23:46
Are you already back home? Wonderfukl santa catalina... In so many wonderful places I was in predigital era and I regret I have no photos Santa catalina with all its colours, nice corner, view of volcanes is a heaven for photographers. Delightful composition with the red wall and flowers woth their shadows.
elkab (4951) 2011-09-05 23:58
Amazing idea and very good realisation.
Very moody picture. Interesting role of highlights with perfect exposure gives grteat effect. Superb colors
ifege (10367) 2011-09-06 2:51
Great blues Silvio and with good structure shoing through,
macondo (19453) 2011-09-06 6:29
A very simple and elegant display of blue tones, lines and shadows for this photo of a lamp on the wall of the monastery. The lamp and flower containers make a gentle diagonal. Your note really explains very well the history of the building and its occupants. It suggests to me the atmosphere and spirit of this South American country.
danyy (0) 2011-09-06 23:51
cela manque un peu de définition mais ce n'est pas grave car l'aspect général se rapproche aussi d'une peinture aux couleurs vives, agréable à contempler.
Un cadrage efficace et bien pensé.
COSTANTINO (64256) 2011-09-07 12:03
a shot in blue with blue details
very well composed
delightful composition and
baddori (20121) 2011-09-07 13:22
Devo ripetere quanto scritto Roberto ..l'effetto cromatico e la prospettiva.
Fotografi quanto evidenziato dalla pittura e dalle ombre.
Dopo il rosa il colore azzurro confetto.
limielski (0) 2011-09-07 17:44
Very nice composition. A blue tone give to the shot a harmony . Your idea is very creative.
Best regards, Leszek
PS. Thank you for the polish text.
Budapestman (82620) 2011-09-08 2:01
a beautiful street detail with attractive composition, great lights and colours, a very nice atmosphere, Tfs! Have a nice day! Kellemes napot kívánok!
paololg (31448) 2011-09-09 10:48
Ciao caro Jeppo,
sicuramente il mio favorevole commento sarà di parte, in quanto adoro questo bel colore turchese, come tutte le tonalità della gamma del blu, ma giustamente devo farti i complimenti anche per la piacevole composizione. Hai catturato un angolino veramente piacevole, con deliziosi dettagli. Bravissimo!
Ciao, passa un buon fine settimana!
mauro61 (52855) 2011-09-11 0:20
una bella immagine in cui hai sfruttato al massimo la tonalità azzurrina come sfondo.
Immagine ben presentata,
un saluto dalla alda Sicilia ;)
Waylim (25502) 2011-09-14 18:11
the blue makes this image seem so cool and refreshing. I like it, the simple thing and ordinary thing in life can makes such beautiful photographic subject and did a wonderful job here.
Silvio1953 (140951) 2011-09-15 13:59
Ciao Silvio, lampioni ed ombre funzionano sempre, qui poi ci hai messo anche i vasi di fiori, deliziosa composizione, splendidi colori, bravo, ciao Silvio
patpatch (1601) 2011-10-18 9:24
Une vue originale du Pérou.
Mais j'aime beaucoup la mise en page,le cadrage et cette douce dominante bleue lavande.
Un ton propre à une aquarelle ou à un pastel.
siudzi (34141) 2011-11-03 3:08
What a lovely blue shot captured so beautifully! Like the shadows on the wall. They make your composition very creative and unique. Well done. TFS.
skippy007 (12510) 2011-11-06 19:42
Ciao Ceo, Vedo che ti piace fotografare le lampade, ho osservato che anche a te ti piace girare per il mondo, bravo e complimenti
Traveller (672) 2012-04-07 20:11
I love the composition and colors, and your note is very helpful, describing the history of this monastery. I just posted a photo from Arequipa myself and I have photos from the monastery to post later. It is a beautiful place.