Basilica and Convent of Santo Domingo, Lima

The Basilica and Convent of Our Lady of the Rosary (Spanish: Basílica Menor y Convento Máximo de Nuestra Señora del Rosario), commonly known as the Convent of Santo Domingo (or Convent of the Holy Rosary), is a Catholic religious complex located in the city of Lima, Peru. It was created in the 1530s under the patronage of Our Lady of the Rosary and is located in the Historic Centre of Lima. It houses the relics of Rose of Lima and Martin de Porres, and was also where the University of San Marcos, officially the first Peruvian university and the oldest university in the Americas, began to function in the 16th century.

The construction of the Convent of Santo Domingo took about 50 years. Its construction began during the foundation of Lima and concluded at the end of the 16th century. It was the provincial Friar Tomás de San Martín who began to carry out the construction of the first church of the Order, and later the superior Friar Sebastián de Ayllón received aid from the King, finishing the work in the year 1578. The first building was destroyed by the earthquake of 1678. A new church was erected by Dominican architect Diego Maroto, and the convent was rebuilt; it had six cloisters and several courtyards before the earthquake of 1687. The church was rebuilt from the transept to the choir; the arches were changed, and the number of windows was expanded. As a result, the church acquired breadth, simplicity and uniformity. The materials used in the construction were adobe, brick and calicanto, among others. The quincha served to lighten the weight, to make the structure more flexible and to increase the resistance to the earthquakes, so frequent in this region. Because the earthquakes of 1687 and 1746 necessitated further modifications, such as the reconstruction of the tower, the main portal of the church, and part of the convent, which included changes in the distribution of the cloisters, which can currently be appreciated. The church was elevated to the category of Minor Basilica in 1930. The structure of the church was somewhat damaged ten years later by an earthquake and restored in later years. The convent's apple orchard would be lost to the changing course of the Rímac River.

The exterior of the church was originally covered by bossage, as can still be seen at the base of the bell tower. A primitive portal, two bodies and three streets, was carved in the second half of the 17th century. In later years, a new portal would rise because of the earthquakes that destroyed the church. The church was restored after the Earthquake of Lima and Callao of 1940, which involved the application of cement in the walls.

The first bell tower of the church, of Baroque style and three bodies, was designed together with the church by Diego Maroto in the second half of the 17th century and was destroyed during the earthquake of 28 October 1746. The present bell tower was conceived and designed by the Viceroy Manuel d'Amat i de Junyent in 1766 in the Rococo style, with an octagonal base. It is divided into a lower body and two tall bodies with small balconies on corbels. At the top is the sculpture of a figure holding a trumpet, representing the angel who announces the Final Judgment. The total height is 46 meters and is considered one of the most characteristic elements of the religious complex. The base of the bell tower still preserves the bossage that once covered the facade of the first church. The total height is 46 meters. Its original color is white and pink, making it the most characteristic and striking element of the religious set.

Church data from Wikidata (CC0). Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).