The Monasterio de Santa Catalina, founded in 1579 by the noblewoman María de Guzmán, is tucked within Arequipa’s urban blanket of white sillar, hidden behind blind walls of grey stone. Built as a cloistered refuge, it sheltered the daughters of Spanish elites who withdrew from the outside world.
Within its thick walls, life once moved in hushed rituals through sunlit arcades, vaulted ceilings, terracotta-tiled courtyards, and candlelit chapels. For centuries, its secrets remained sealed behind iron-latched doors, until 1970, when the monastery partially opened, revealing its sun-drenched cloisters and timeworn frescoes to the outside world.
Today, nuns still live there in quiet seclusion, while visitors wander through ochre and cobalt passageways and dark chambers still drenched in solitude.
If you’re short on time in Arequipa, Hostal Santa Catalina is a convenient place to stay, directly across from the monastery. From there, you can spend an afternoon getting lost in this preserved ancient world.
