Lima Cathedral

Lima Cathedral fills the east side of the Plaza Mayor and is the city's principal church. Francisco Pizarro started the first church here in 1535, the year he founded Lima, and it became a cathedral in 1541. What you see today was built mainly between 1602 and 1797, and its history is closely tied to the earthquakes that have shaped the city: tremors in 1606, 1609, 1687 and 1746 caused serious damage, the last leaving it almost in ruins, and a further earthquake in 1940 was followed by restoration.

The facade is Renaissance in style with Plateresque decoration, flanked by later Neoclassical towers. The plan, with three naves and side chapels, was modelled on Seville Cathedral, and the vaults were built of wood and stucco rather than stone to reduce the weight on the walls, a practical answer to the earthquake risk. The central doorway is known as the Puerta del Perdón.

For most visitors the highlight is the chapel in the right-hand nave that holds Pizarro's remains, decorated with mosaics showing the Conquest. Remains were displayed here from 1891, and in 1977 workers found a lead box and a coffin whose bones were identified as Pizarro's. Also look at the carved choir stalls, designed by Martín Alonso de Mesa and made by Pedro de Noguera in the 17th century, which now stand either side of the main altar.

On weekdays the cathedral works partly as a museum of religious art. The route takes in the crypt of the archbishops below the presbytery, the sacristy with its large carved cabinets, the antesacristía known as the zodiac room, the Sala Brazzini with religious art and objects, and the chapter house, where vestments and vessels used by Pope John Paul II on his visits to Peru are kept. Sunday Mass is at 11:00, when the cathedral is for worshippers rather than sightseeing, so plan a weekday visit if you want to see the museum areas.

The cathedral is part of the Historic Centre of Lima, a UNESCO World Heritage Site inscribed in 1988 and extended in 1991. Combine it with the rest of the Plaza Mayor, including the Archbishop's Palace and the Government Palace, and walk on to the San Francisco convent a few blocks away. Dress respectfully, keep voices low during services and allow about an hour for the cathedral and its museum rooms.