San Blas Church, Cusco

San Blas Church was built on the site of an Inca temple dedicated to the god of thunder and lightning. The church was originally constructed in the mid-1500s and rebuilt after the devastating earthquake of 1650. San Blas Church has a simple adobe façade, but its interior is richly decorated and contains several notable works of art. Many of its artworks, along with its famous pulpit, were added after the 1650 earthquake.

The church's most celebrated feature is its ornate Baroque pulpit, carved from cedar and richly decorated. Once you enter the church and face the main altar, look to the left-hand side of the nave, where the pulpit is mounted high against the wall. It is considered one of the finest examples of woodcarving in the Americas. According to a popular legend, the pulpit was carved by an indigenous craftsman who recovered from a serious illness and dedicated his life to serving the church. The story also claims that the carver's skull was incorporated into the pulpit after his death.

The church also houses several important paintings. Among them is a work by Peruvian artist Diego Quispe Tito depicting the Resurrection of Lazarus. To see the church's paintings, look along the large framed canvases lining the walls of the single nave, particularly above the side altarpieces. The collection includes scenes from the life of Saint Blaise as well as the Resurrection of Lazarus. Quispe Tito is regarded as one of the leading figures of the Cuzco School of painting.

In addition, the church contains various religious sculptures. Look for these within the gilded altarpieces along the sides of the nave and around the main altar at the far end of the church, where figures of saints occupy carved niches. The church preserves numerous polychrome sculptures as part of its collection.