During the colonial era, churches and palaces were built, whose baroque decoration full of luxurious ornaments consisted mainly of canvases, sculptures, altarpieces, cedar furniture, gold and silver objects and more. Many of these relics are found in the Archbishop's Palace of Cusco, which is in charge of the Museum of Religious Art. The complex is built on the foundations of an ancient Inca palace. One of its walls is famous for housing the 'Stone of the 12 Angles'.
Description
The Cusco Museum of Religious Art houses some of the most important colonial relics, such as canvases, sculptures, carvings, altarpieces, religious furniture and more. The museum was built in the Archbishop's Palace, the former palace of Inca Roca (whose walls hold the famous stone of the 12 angles). Its rooms are full of stories and treasures of great value. Some of the most famous are the paintings: ‘Crucified Christ’ and ‘The Virgin of the Milk’.
Some of the rooms in the museum are: ‘Corpus Christi Room’, the ‘Church Chapel’, ‘The Golden Room’ and others. In total, there are more than 200 paintings as well as gold and silver treasures. To visit this place, you must purchase the Religious Circuit Ticket, which also includes admission to the Church of San Blas, the Church of San Cristóbal and the Cathedral of Cusco.
Location
The religious art museum is located on Hatun Rumiyoc Street, the same one that houses the ‘Stone of the 12 Angles’. It is just a few steps from the Plaza de Armas of Cusco.
How to get there?
To get to the religious art museum, you must walk from the Plaza de Armas of Cusco (it is only 400 meters away). You can also walk from any part of the Historic Center of the city. If you are staying far from the center, you can take a taxi.
Architecture
The Cusco Colonial Art Museum is built on the palace of Inca Roca, the sixth Inca ruler. Part of the palace was destroyed to build the palace and home of the first bishop of Peru and Cusco, Friar Vicente Valverde. In the 20th century it became the archbishop's palace of Cusco. The architecture of this colonial building is characterized by baroque decoration. It is made of stone. It has columns, mullioned balconies, windows, patios, pools, arches and everything beautifully decorated. Its walls stand out, whose bases maintain their stone structure from the Inca era. The entire building has great historical value because it summarizes the different stages of Cusco: from its pre-Inca era (there are walls from this era), Inca, colonial and modern.
The collection
The museum has a collection of paintings, colonial furniture, altarpieces, religious pieces and other treasures distributed in its different thematic rooms, such as the ‘Diego Quispe Tito’ room, which exhibits 12 paintings referring to this religious festival. The paintings are by the artist Quispe Tito, a great representative of the ‘Cusco school’. The works were donated by the parish of Santa Ana. Also noteworthy are the ‘Church Chapel’ and the ‘Golden Room’, where you can see a baroque altarpiece, decorated in gold leaf, installed in the chapel and donated by the seminary of San Antonio de Abad.
Price of the visit
The entrance ticket to the museum costs 15 Peruvian soles (5 US dollars) for adults and 7.50 Peruvian soles for students (2.50 US dollars).
Entrance to the museum is also included in the so-called ‘Cusco Religious Circuit’, which costs 30 Peruvian soles (10 US dollars). The ticket also includes a visit to: the church of San Blas, the church of San Cristóbal and the Cathedral.
Opening hours
The Cusco Museum of Religious Art is open to the public every day of the year, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
More information
The museum exhibits up to 200 colonial paintings with religious themes. Some of the most famous are: ‘The Virgin of the Milk’ (anonymous) and ‘Crucified Christ’ (anonymous). Both works belong to the so-called ‘Cusco school of painting’, which copied large European canvases but also introduced Andean elements to these classic paintings.
The 12-angled stone is part of the architecture of the archbishop’s palace (Cusco Museum of Religious Art). This Inca structure is a few steps away from the site. Its fame is due to its large size and the precision with which it was polished to fit into the wall. Visiting this tourist attraction is free. You just have to walk there (on Hatun Rumiyoc Street).
Tips
Remember that taking photos inside the museum is not permitted. At the entrance there are specialized guides who, for an additional cost, can give you all the information necessary to fully understand the historical value of the exhibited pieces.
If you are interested in colonial art, a good option is to visit the different churches and temples in Cusco, such as: the Church of San Pedro, the Church of Santo Domingo, the Church of San Francisco, the Church of Santa Ana, the Church of La Merced, the Church of the Company of Jesus and, of course, the Cathedral of Cusco. Admission to all these temples is free during mass hours (usually Sunday mornings).
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