Convent off convention

Try to visualise walls, some painted indigo blue, others a brilliant terracotta — enhanced with a dash of yellow. Adding to this kaleidoscope are flower beds bursting with brilliant red geraniums.

Magical ambience

Had it been anywhere else, so many blazing hues together would have hurt the eye. But at Monasterio de Santa Catalina, it seems magical.

Located in Arequipa, Peru, the sanctuary is like a “city within a city'', stretching over an area of more than 20,000 square metres, and a photographer's delight.

Bathed in sunlight, the 500-year-old sanctuary sparkles like a gemstone, making it a must-see on any Peru tourist itinerary.

But Monasterio de Santa Catalina is more than just colours. It is a quaint complex of courtyards, with walls a bright blue or red, filled with beds of geraniums that open on to cobbled streets.

Calle Sevilla, Calle Cordoba and Calle Toledo takes us to more squares, some with fountains or flower-filled nooks for meditation. Above the main archway is engraved “Silencio'', which reminds us that this is a sanctuary.

Rich tradition

The monastery, which was built in 1580, was founded by a rich widow called Maria de Guzman. In those days, it was tradition that the second son or daughter of a family of a nobleman enter religious service — and this convent accepted only women from rich backgrounds.

Each nun at Santa Catalina had up to four servants and lived in much the same way they would have at home. They had parties and concerts, their rooms were comfortably furnished, with adjoining kitchens — and there was no sign of austerity.

Each family paid a dowry to the monastery and as a sign of privilege, the one who wore the black veil brought in 2,400 silver coins, then a vast sum.

They also had a list of 25 items they had to bring, such as statues or paintings. Some were so wealthy they ate in fine English bone china and used silk furnishings.

Eventually, stories of their lavish lifestyle reached the Pope. In 1871, Sister Josefa Cadena was sent to reform the convent. The servants were freed, most became nuns at the convent and their hedonistic lifestyle was replaced by religious austerity.

Days of glory

The monastery remained hidden till 1970, after which it was opened to the public so that revenue could be generated for electricity and running water.

In its heyday, there were about 450 women in the complex — one third nuns and the rest servants. Now there are about 20 nuns, who live in an area off-limits to the public.

An interesting section is the Lavanderia — the community laundry. It was built when Arequipa's only source of water was a series of small canals. There were about 20 huge earthenware pots for the purpose, which were also used to store food.

Elaborate canal system

The water required for washing clothes was channelled in through a central canal, with offshoots leading into different jars.

At the bottom of each jar was a plug, which was removed once the washing was done. Thus the dirty water drained into an underground canal, which flowed into the river.

Before 1970, there was a restoration to increase the flow of tourists. A that time, a huge collection of religious paintings were discovered.

Experts restored more than 400 of these artworks, now considered important samples of religious art. These are displayed in the art gallery within the monastery, now an important centre of religious art.

Beautiful frescoes and murals adorn the archways but nothing beats the smouldering colours that light up the sanctuary.

— Nirmal Khanna is a UAE-based freelance writer

Go there . . . Arequipa . . . From the UAE

From Dubai

Lima is the closest airport.

KLM flies daily via Amsterdam. Fare from Dh9,460
Located 1,020 km south of Lima, Arequipa can be
reached by air in 70 minutes. LanPeru operates daily flights.

The journey from Lima to Arequipa by road Highway takes about 14 hours. Bus companies provide non-stop journeys, with meals, air conditioning and comfortable seats.

— Information courtesy: The Holiday Lounge by Dnata.
Ph: 04 4380454