One of the places on Daddy's list was the famous Santa Catalina Monastery, just a block from the Plaza de Armas in Arequipa. We asked for a guided tour, which was excellent and we learned so many fascinating things.
This monastery is like a city within a city. It was first built in 1579, but was destroyed by earthquakes in 1600 and 1604. The 60,000sq ft building as it stands was again completed towards the end of the 17th century using sillar, the blocks of white lava stone, for which Arequipa earned its nickname, "The White City".
Back then it was a tradition for wealthy families to require their second-born daughter to live her life in service to the church. A father would bring his daughter, as young as 12 or 13 years old, and pay a large sum of money, the equivalent of $150,000 USD, for them to live here the rest of their lives, whether they wanted to or not. While this may seem cruel, our guide explained, life for young daughters outside the monastery wasn't easy either. Often fathers would arrange marriage for their firstborn daughter at just 12 years old, based on how it would benefit him. The young girls would be encouraged to bear as many children as possible. It was not uncommon to have 20 children. And lifespans were only 35 years on average. At one point there were 300 women living within these walls at one time.
When a girl was first brought to the monastery, they would live in a room like this one for three years. A bucket under the bed served as a toilet to be cleaned every morning in the culvert that ran thru the grounds. They also bathed themselves with a cloth in the culvert, though never removing their garments, as nakedness was seen as having potential for awakening unwanted desires.
The women were never allowed outside the walls of the monastery. Even after death, their bodies remain on property. If they wanted to see family, they could come to this hallway where two grids of wood ensured any physical contact was impossible. A small turnstile wood piece next to it allowed a gift to be passed through the wall without the possibility of hands touching. Twenty women still live here, by their own choice, and they now are permitted to use cell phones to communicate with the world outside these walls.
After three years, the girls would move to a new "house" within the walls. The size of which was dependent on how much money your father had paid when he first brought you here. It was permissible for 2-3 women to share a house, but they all had to be related- sisters or aunts and nieces. They could also now have a servant who would have her own bed located in the washroom.
A few examples of cooking area in different homes.
Until 1800 the women were not allowed to learn to read or write. Their life was devoted to learning thru information passed down verbally from the older nuns. The many paintings throughout helped them learn and remember stories from the Bible. Even the chapel services were held in Latin, so they couldn't understand what was being said.
The walls in some places have been painted this ochre color to help with the harsh light reflecting off of white walls.
Some entrances are extremely small, and there are stairs leading to the roof in many places, though for safety reasons now that the public is touring, they've blocked many of them off.
This doorway is about 6ft off the ground!
The architecture and colors are really fantastic, especially in sunlight.
Women often spent much of their time visiting with other women, teaching each other and hand stitching craft items.
Here is where the women would wash laundry. Water constantly flows thru the long channel. The women would set a rock just behind the tube, diverting the water to fill the pot. Journey is demonstrating how this works with her hand.
And then you get to the section of blue walls. Wow, such a vibrant color!
In 1871 laws changed. Women now had to be at least 21 years old to move in and women could no longer be held without their consent. Nuns and servants were given the option to leave, but they could never return. Such is the case for the 20 women who have chosen to live here now.
They also changed from a system of individual homes to dorm style sleeping and eating. Here is a lunch room for feeding many at once.
Inside one building was a well and next to it this water purification system. This particular type of rock contains tiny holes perfect for slowly filtering contaminants from the water. Fresh water escapes the top rock and collects in the bowl below.
Here is the confessional, where Daddy explained why it was used and why we personally don't participate in this practice. We know in the Old Testament people needed a mediator between themselves and God, however when Jesus died, the temple veil was torn as the need for a mediator had ended. We can now confess our sins directly to God thru Jesus.
The view from the roof with Misti and Chachani Volcanoes in the distance.
About 80% of the grounds are open for the tours, however the blue section visible here is part of the 20% where the nuns currently live. Once tours end for the day, the women move about freely within the walls.
After the tour ended, we explored a bit on our own and found two lifer hummingbirds coming to these few trees! Yay!
The unmistakable Peruvian Sheartail (above) Oasis Hummingbird (below)
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