In Inca
times the site of this monastery was occupied by a compound called the Aqllawasi, which in Quechua means “house
of the chosen maidens”. It was inhabited by Aqllas,
women of noble families chosen from all over the empire for their beauty and
high lineage. They entered the Aqllawasi
while young and stayed within its walls for the rest of their lives. They were
strictly forbidden to have any contact with men and were obliged to remain
virgins until their death. The Aqllas
were seen as being wedded to the sun and the other deities venerated in Cusco.
Their main occupations were the production of fine textiles for the court of the
Inca and the preparation of ceremonial beverages, and these two activities were
considered sacred. The first Europeans who arrived in Peru called the Aqllas “nuns”.
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| A beautiful planter in the Monastery courtyard |
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| Saint Catherine of Siena |
The
Monastery of Saint Catherine was founded in 1601 in the city of Arequipa but, in
February 1605, the first 25 professional nuns moved to Cusco after a series of
destructive natural disasters occurred in Arequipa. After changing locations
several times within the town, the monastery was established on the site of the
ancient Aqllawasi. It is likely that
its former function was taken into account when the site was chosen. In 1650
the new monastery, as well as many other recent buildings in Cusco, was
destroyed by a devastating earthquake. Reconstruction work began the following
year, with the foundation of the new church, which has been preserved to this
day.
Today thirteen
professed contemplative nuns live in the Monastery of Saint Catherine of Cusco.
They are followers of the first nuns of the Order of Preachers (Dominican
Order) of the Monastery of Prulla, founded in 1207 by Saint Dominic of Guzman.
The rules of the Order prescribe for them a strictly cloistered life, although
this restriction has been softened in recent decades. Their cells are located
in the two interior cloisters behind the temple. Since the colonial period the
nuns of the Monastery of Saint Catherine have become famous for their
sophisticated embroideries of liturgical vestments and saints’ robes, and for
their delicious pastry.
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| The workroom |
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| The novitiate |
The part
of the monastery open to the public today contains incredibly beautiful frescoes in the chapter house and
a valuable collection of colonial paintings (which you are not allowed to
photograph), tapestries, furniture, liturgical vestments and other objects of
applied arts from the colonial and republic periods. As well as the chapter
house, the public rooms include a study, the
former workroom, the novitiate and the refectory. The entire monastery has a peaceful
atmosphere and it was a very beautiful place to visit.
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| Old stoneware in the refectory |
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| In the foundress's cell |
(Acknowledgement: Much of
this text was taken from the monastery’s brochure.)
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