San Francisco Church and Museum, Cusco

The church of San Francisco is a Franciscan church built in the city of Cusco. The southern part of Huacaypata was built, which at that time extended to what is now Plaza San Francisco . It is located on the south side of Plaza San Francisco, in the center of the city, together with the premises of the Colegio Ciencias .

Since 1972, the property has been part of the Monumental Zone of Cusco, declared a Historic Monument of Peru. Also, in 1983, being part of the historic center of the city of Cusco, it is part of the central area declared by UNESCO as Cultural Heritage of Humanity .

The structure of the temple stands out for its simplicity compared to the other churches in Cusco . It has a single tower with 7 bells, among which is the second largest in the entire city. It has the shape of a Latin cross and three basilica -type naves . Inside, the high choir carved in cedar stands out in 1652 by the friars Luis Montes, Isidro Fernández Inca and Antonio de Paz. That choir contains the images of 93 saints of the Catholic Church .

In the basements of the building are the crypts that housed human remains, since this temple also served as a cemetery.

The Romanesque style stands out on the outside of the temple and the Plateresque style on its front .

Next to the church is the convent of the order that originally consisted of 4 cloisters. The first comprises the chapter house and the sacristy. The second was used - and still is - as the premises of the Colegio San Buenaventura (today Colegio San Francisco de Asís ) and which briefly housed the Colegio Educandas in the mid- 19th century . The third corresponds to the novitiate and the fourth was destroyed after being ceded to the Peruvian government to house the Colegio Ciencias , land it occupies to this day.

Inside the convent, the enormous canvas called "Genealogy of the Franciscan order" is exhibited, which measures 12 meters high by 9 meters wide and was painted by Juan Espinoza de los Monteros in 1699.

The San Francisco museum is one of the largest and most popular museums in Cusco. The museum occupies the two floors of the San Francisco Church. The interior walls are decorated with beautiful paintings and wooden carvings. The museum's main attractions include the Franciscan family tree canvas, a series of Saint Antonio images, Colonial furniture and a large number of unique religious paintings.