It reopened its doors on November 16 after being closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
«The Monastery of the Discalced Carmelites of San José (known as Santa Teresa), in Arequipa, was founded in 1710, and since then it has been alive, housing a Community of contemplative Nuns dedicated to praying for the worries of the world».
This is how the presentation begins (see here) of a site that recently just celebrated its “grand reopening” after being closed due to the coronavirus pandemic in Peru.
Indeed, as stated, «In its more than 300 years of existence, the monastery has treasured paintings, sculptures, furniture, goldsmithing, decorative arts, canvases, mural painting and everyday objects from different eras, origins and artistic styles».
But it was not until 2005 when the nuns opened a part of their monastery to the world as Museum of Viceregal Art, «exhibiting hundreds of objects from his valuable collection in 13 exhibition spaces of the old Cloister of the Offices».
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A must visit site
Both national and foreign visitors, especially art lovers, have the great opportunity to once again enjoy the treasures that this museum offers in this new phase.
This is possible from the past Nov. 16 and those who returned to the site did nothing more than congratulate on the event. For example, as indicated by the Peru Churchone of the visitors named Rodolfo Bejarano was moved by the beauty of the Cloister of the Officessite that also has an olive tree of more than 300 years.
It is also indicated that on the first day of reopening, numerous families, young people, adults and tourism students were present at the site.
For his part, Franz GroupDirector of Collections Management, recalled that over 17 years this museum has received thousands of visitors and quoted the Bishop of Chimbote, Monsignor Ángel Ernesto Zapata, when he said the following:
«To enter the cloister is to go back in time and find ourselves with a spirituality and experience of a charisma that fed by artistic beauty becomes an expression of a single feeling: ‘to be praise of the glory of God’».
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Exhibition hours and rooms
The Museum of Viceregal Art It is located in the center of the city of Arequipa, a few meters from the Plaza de Armas (Calle Melgar 303) and has 13 exhibition halls, as well as a candy store and souvenir shop. For example, in addition to confectionery, artisan objects such as the rose soap made with rose bushes from the monastery gardens.
With respect to the exhibition halls, among the most outstanding spaces are the Interpretation of Viceregal Art; the room of the Nativity and the Holy Family (ideal for Advent and where an impressive Christmas trunk stands out with pieces brought from Ecuador in 1730 on the back of a mule).
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Also the room of Saints of the Church (San Francisco de Asís, Santo Domingo de Guzmán, San Ignacio de Loyola, San Pedro Nolasco and Santa Teresa de Jesús, for example); the room of the virgin mary and the room of angels and archangels. (More details about the 13 rooms here).
Meanwhile, in terms of schedules, visitors can visit the place from Monday to Saturday between 10 and 15 hours.
Santa Teresa Viceroyalty Museum of Art, an unmissable site in Peru