Village d'Andahuaylillas

Peru's Sistine Chapel

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Pérou

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The village of Andahuaylillas, built on an Inca site, is a small gem of Spanish colonization, marked by its old houses (“casonas”) and the Church of San Pedro Apóstol, built in the 16th century. From the main square lined with centuries-old “pisonay” trees, a short climb leads up to this Renaissance- and Baroque-style church, one of the finest examples of Andean popular religious art and a stop on the Andean Baroque route.
On either side of the entrance door, a pair of frescoes depict the two paths of existence: on the left, the easy road to hell; on the right, the hard road to paradise. The chapel opens onto a balcony-like structure, and the bell tower is square. The interior, intended to be lavish, is entirely decorated with Baroque murals from the Cuzco School. It also houses the two oldest organs in Latin America.
The art on display is almost defined, on the one hand, by its simplicity, and on the other, by its exaggeration and pursuit of dramatic effect, meant to impress the Andean populations converted by the Spanish upon entering the place of worship.
For these reasons, the church is nicknamed the “Sistine Chapel of Peru.”

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