Cathedral of Cusco – What will you visit in the Cusco City Tour?

First: Cusco’s Cathedral.

The Cathedral is Cusco’s main temple, and it is located in the northeast side of the legendary Plaza de Armas, on what was the Suntur Wasi, as well as the Palace of the Inca Viracocha. This is probably the largest temple in all of southern Peru, and it occupies an area of ​​3.918 square meters. It is made up of 3 components: Basilica Cathedral of Cuzco, Temple of Triumph, and Temple of the Sagrada Familia. Located in the center of Cusco, it’s part of the area declared UNESCO’s Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

This is where the palace of the Inca Viracocha, Suntur Wasi, was located. It was the spaniards who decided to build the first cathedral here. Its construction was in charge of Juan Miguel de Veramendi in 1560, who was replaced two years later by Juan Correa, Juan Rodríguez de Rivera, Juan Cárdenas, and Bartolomé Carrión. In 1615 the construction was commissioned to Miguel Gutiérrez Sencio, who mangaed to complete the cathedral in 1654. The first big gathering in the cathedral was on August 15, 1654, and its consecration was on August 19, 1668, by the Bishop of Cusco Bernardo de Isaguirre Reyes.

The material used for its construction was andesite stone from nearby areas and blocks of red granite were also reused from the Sacsayhuamán’s fortress. The cathedral has a Renaissance façade and its interiors are Baroque, Late-Gothic, and Plateresque. It also has one of the most outstanding examples of colonial goldwork. The paintings inside are valuable, as they were made by Cusco’s best painters.

You can visit the Cathedral of Cusco to pray at the times established by it, however, if you want to go as a tourist, you must be accompanied by a tour guide, and potos of the paintings are not allowed. The visit to the cathedral is included in our Cusco city tour.