Arequipa
16th Century Santa Catalina monastery was the highlight of my visit to Arequipa. This walled monastery is almost a city in it’s own right and takes up a whole block of Arequipa city. It has been operated by Dominican nuns for almost 400 years. You can stroll through this enormous monastery’s streets peeking into its alcoves, checking out the austerity of the nuns’ cells, the kitchen and it’s blackened pots and pans, the mortuary where the nuns are taken after death. Zocodover Square is where the nuns met to barter their goods, gifts from families or things they made themselves, as they were not allowed out of the convent
The monastery was founded by Doña María de Guzmán, a rich widow who put all of her fortune into this monastery. The monastery was officially opened in 1580 and Doña María de Guzmán was the first inhabitant. The families had to pay a hefty dowry to get their daughter’s admittance and though now it seems austere it seemed to have been considered luxurious in it’s early days.
To this day there are about 20 nuns living here. They are called cloister nuns which means they do not see anyone from outside the monastery.
