Monasterio de Santa Catalina, a city within the city of Arequipa

Posted 1 year ago by jhon in response to

jean's question: I thought the Monasterio de Santa Catalina in Arequipa is a real monastery, but my Arts teacher considered it a wrong answer...hmm, what is it then? (give a different answer) .

It's a community, a smaller city close to the Plaza de Armas in Arequipa, inhabited by Dominican nuns. During the 16th century, aristocratic girls were brought here, with slaves and maids, to receive a refined education or to develop a spiritual vocation. The place gained the reputation of an exclusive club and only a third of the women living here were actually servants of God. The old nuns today moved to the north corner, so the rest, with tiny squares, narrow streets, is open to the public.