DAY 4i
CUSCO ~ Templo de la Compañía de Jesús (Cuzco, PER)
Friday September 12th, 2014
TODAYS MILEAGE – 391 miles or 629 kilometres
TRIP MILEAGE – 10450 miles or 16818 kilometres
Built upon the palace of Huayna Cápac, the last Inca to rule an undivided, unconquered empire, Iglesia de La Compañía de Jesús was built by the Jesuits in 1571. The church was almost entirely demolished by the earthquake of 1650, rebuilt, and finally finished 18 years later.
The Jesuits planned to make it the most magnificent of Cuzco’s churches. The archbishop of Cuzco, however, complained that its splendor should not rival that of the Cathedral of Santo Domingo, and the squabble grew to a point where Pope Paul III was called upon to arbitrate.
The Pope's decision was in favor of the cathedral, but by the time word had reached Cuzco, La Compañía de Jesús was just about finished, complete with an incredible baroque facade and Peru’s biggest altar, all crowned by a soaring dome.
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