16.09.09 Arequipa

Arequipa is called the ‘White City’ for two reasons, one; because the majority of its buildings, including those in the main plaza are made of white volcanic stone and two; because, when the Spanish, who were white, conquered the city they inhabited the central area. The city is home to one million people and sits at a high altitude of 3,250m, surrounded by volcanoes. The main plaza is an impressive square or arches on three sides and the customary Catholic church on the fourth. We visit Santa Catalina convent, which was founded in the 16th century, and, although it sits just off the main plaza, it’s a sanctuary of silence, a self-sustaining compound behind high stone walls. The second daughter of every family was obligated to become a nun and give her life to prayer, bringing with her to the convent significant wealth in the form of fees and pieces of furniture for her room. She was required to spend all her waking hours studying the bible in silence and was only permitted conversation with the other nuns for two hours each day. She could only contact her family through an antiquated screen system; wooden ‘meshes’ separated her from her visitor and light fell from behind her to ensure she was in shadow in order that her visitor could not actually see her. She was not allowed out of the convent walls except to visit a doctor. Needless to say it was a hard life and, nowadays, there are much less who choose to pursue this life and they now live in a separate section of the convent, closed to the public. The convent buildings and streets are beautiful though in their rustic simplicity. Strong cobalt blue and terracotta natural pigments are used to coat the walls and bright red geraniums offer a fantastic contrasting colour.