Monestry for rich nuns

Trip Start Jul 27, 2008
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Trip End Mar 05, 2009


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Where I stayed
La Pasada del Virrey
(Arequipa hotels)

Flag of Peru  ,
Friday, October 10, 2008

Occupying  a hugh block in Arequipa is the 400 year old Monestry of Saint Catalina which was founded for girls from rich Spanish families. The girls entered at the age of 14 and brought with them their servants who would do the cooking and the cleaning. To make sure they did not go short the museum displayed the best china (Wedgewood and Spode!) and silverware which they used for their eating and drinking. Although they were cloistered they did enjoy themselves ubtuk a much stricter Dominican Order was introduced and after that they were locked in their rooms and only allowed out for a couple hours a day. Food was passed through a window.The nuns trained for 4 years and received instruction on the Bible and sewing etc. There were some lovely pieces of embrodiery ohn display.     

They were largely self sufficent in that bread was baked in thie kitchens and waterwas filtered through porous volcano rock and purified. Thet had their own ingenous laundry. The walls were painted with vrious and the original paintins are still intact after all these year. The were several earth quakes and parts on the monestry was destroyed and rebuilt. The local stone is from the volcano and is white which is the predominent colour of all the buildings in Arequipa - hence the name the White City.

Today there are only 70 nuns from 500 who used to be there in its heyday.
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