I’d heard good things about the Santa Catalina Monastery in Arequipa so decided to set aside most of a day to see it. Knowing only that it encompassed more than 20,000 sq. meters of land in the center of Arequipa, I was expecting to get lost in this ‘citadel within a city’ as I‘d heard it called before. Walking into an entry court off of La Merced (or Santa Catalina) I paid the $10 admission and set out on a beautiful bright day in Arequipa. Two things that drew me to the monastery were the fact that I didn’t have to hire a guide and was able to take my camera in (as opposed to other monasteries I’ve visited here). The complex is referred to as a photographers playground and it would not disappoint.

The Monasterio de Santa Catalina was founded in the late 1500’s as a place for the rich of Spain to send their children off to be nuns. However, it became a place for the privileged to live an easy life with several servants per nun. Living in style wasn’t the original idea for the monastery and in the 1800’s, the Pope sent a rather strict Dominican nun to straighten things out. The monastery is still active with about 30 nuns living in a separate area not open to the public. Walking through the many outdoor ’streets’, I was began to get a feel for the size of this place. The cells, as they call them, where the nuns lived a solitary life were amazingly comfortable apartment style residences, most with complete outdoor kitchens and brick oven stoves. There was a never-ending system of rooms and niches created from the local volcanic white stone so common in Arequipa. Many buildings had been damaged by earthquakes throughout the years, but have since been beautifully restored.

Enjoying the ability to find corners of the monastery to myself, I was able to appreciate the tranquil atmosphere that is such a huge part of monastic life. It was amazing to be within a large city like Arequipa but have such solitude. A small café open to a beautiful courtyard was a great spot for a rest and a lemonade (lime really). I also met Maura from California and had a good time exploring the rest of the campus with her before tiring and needing some lunch and replenishment of spent energy. In total, I think I was there for 4 hours and got an endless collection of photos. The day was a pleasant surprise to say the least. 

a typical 'cell'one of the many streets within the complex