IGLESIA DE LA COMANIA DE JESUS

Cusco, Peru

The Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús (Church of the Society of Jesus) is a historic Jesuit church in Cusco City, the ancient capital of the Inca Empire. It is situated on the Plaza de Armas in the city center. It is one of the best examples of Spanish Baroque architecture in Peru, and influenced the development of many other Baroque designs in the South Andes. The construction of the original church began in 1576 on the grounds of the old Amarucancha, the palace of the Inca leader, Huayna Cápac. The grounds of this palace were taken by Hernando Pizarro, Spanish conquistador. Years later, the property was purchased by Diego de Silva y Guzmán and his wife, Teresa Orgoñez, who later donated the land to the Jesuits upon their arrival to the city in 1571.

In the year 1650, the main church was devastated by the earthquake. This allowed the builders to undertake an ambitious reconstruction. Despite protests of city council, the work continued and the church was re-inaugurated in 1668. It was designed by the Flemish Jesuit architect, Jean-Baptiste Gille, and the work on the façade was directed by Diego Martínez de Oviedo.

This sketch was done at the outset of son Ryan’s and my trip to Peru to hike the Inca Trail, which ended at the ancient Inca village of Machu Picchu. While sketching, I was badgered by a local artist hawking his work, named Michelangelo – sure. The Inca trail was a challenge of significant up’s and down’s of over 3,000 feet – a major test on the quads.