Peru: Arequipa – Inside the Arequipa Cathedral
Arequipa Cathedral, besides serving as a major catholic church, also is home to an impressive museum holding a huge amount of medieval relics and priceless jewels. The cathedral’s pipe organ and old wooden pulpit are highlights of the ground floor, while the museum on the top floor is full of treasures (no photography) – there are sculptures, crowns, and other religious attributes made of pure silver and gold (one hat has over 1000 diamonds encrusted in it). Once done with the museum, you get to go onto the rooftop and the into both belltowers. Panoramic views of the city and the perfectly conical volcano towering in not so far distance and breathtaking, as is the bird’s eye view of the Plaza de Armas below. In 2001, an 8.1 earthquake hit Arequipa with one of the towers completely collapsing and smashing the pipe organ downstairs. It’s all restarted to the former glory back again. Unless there is another earthquake or the Misti volcano blows up his top.
