Blessed day reader friends, I hope you are well and are having an excellent week. Today I am encouraged to share with you some pictures of one of my most memorable walks in the city of Lima.
Una de las cosas que más extraño son mis paseos y salidas por el centro histórico de la ciudad; un lugar de ensueño donde pude disfrutar de bonitas tardes, caminando por calles empedradas y admirando la maravillosa arquitectura que predomina en esta área de la ciudad.
Ya les he comentado que me fascinan las iglesias antiguas, tanto así, que tengo un álbum digital de fotografías de todas las iglesias que he podido visitar, pronto me animaré a realizar una compilación de todas mis publicaciones sobre los hermosos lugares que pude conocer en Lima.
Aún hay algunos edificios que me encantaría mostrarles, espero hacerlo pronto. Pero hoy quiero compartirles varias fotografías que pude tomarle a la Iglesia de “La Merced”, una de las iglesias con más historia de toda la ciudad.
It's been two months since I returned to Venezuela and although I am very happy to be close to my family, there are some things I miss about the country that hosted me these past four years.
One of the things I miss the most are my walks and outings through the historic center of the city; a dream place where I could enjoy beautiful afternoons, walking through cobblestone streets and admiring the wonderful architecture that predominates in this area of the city.
I have already told you that I am fascinated by old churches, so much so, that I have a digital album of photographs of all the churches I have been able to visit, soon I will be encouraged to make a compilation of all my publications about the beautiful places I was able to visit in Lima.
There are still some buildings that I would love to show you, I hope to do it soon. But today I want to share with you some pictures that I was able to take of the "La Merced" church, one of the most historic churches in the city.
Luego de realizar los tramites correspondientes, decidimos ir a caminar por el centro histórico. Mientras caminabamos por una de las calles nos topamos con esta impresionante estructura.
Fue entonces cuando tomé mi teléfono y me dispuse a tomar tantas fotografías me fueron posible. Era muy difícil realizar buenas tomas ya que la calle donde se encuentra la iglesia es muy estrecha y es muy concurrida por turistas y visitantes.
Estaba fascinada observando cada detalle de la enorme fachada y la puerta de entrada. Lamentablemente no se podía entrar, pero la puerta principal estaba abierta y desde allí se podía observar un poco de lo hermoso que es el interior de la iglesia.
The Church of "La Merced" is by far the most striking and architecturally rich church I have ever seen. I met this church several months ago when I went downtown with my children to renew our immigration documents.
After completing the corresponding paperwork, we decided to go for a walk through the historic center. While walking down one of the streets we came across this impressive structure.
It was then that I grabbed my phone and set out to take as many pictures as possible. It was very difficult to take good shots since the street where the church is located is very narrow and very crowded with tourists and visitors.
I was fascinated observing every detail of the huge facade and the entrance door. Unfortunately it was not possible to enter, but the main door was open and from there you could see a little of how beautiful the inside of the church is.
The church has a beautiful salmon color on its external walls. The main façade is so full of carved so full of carved pieces and details that it is difficult to pay attention to any specific object. However, what I focused on the most were the statues located on the sides of the door and the image of the Virgin of Mercy that is located just above the entrance.
Según el artículo de AciPrensa Nuestra Señora de la Merced - Patrona de Perú:
"Esta Orden de la Merced, aprobada en 1235 como orden militar por el Papa Gregorio IX, logró liberar a miles de cristianos prisioneros, convirtiéndose posteriormente en una dedicada a las misiones, la enseñanza y a las labores en el campo social. "
La Virgen de La Merced es la patrona de las Fuerzas Armadas del Perú, es por ello que lleva en el pecho el escudo de esta orden militar. La procesión de la Virgen de la Merced se lleva a cabo el 24 de septiembre, donde los militares y la población en general rinde honores y tríbuto a la imagen de la Virgen.
Personalmente puedo decir que me siento cercana a esta advocación de la virge ya que mi hijo mayor nació precisamente el día que se celebra la solemnidad de Nuestra Señora de la Merced. A pesar de esto, no había visitado una iglesia con su nombre, es por ello que este paseo fue especial y significativo para mí.
In the city of Lima there is a great devotion to the Virgin of La Merced. The religious order that venerates this Marian dedication is called "The Order of the Mercedarians" and it is said that it is the oldest order of friars in Lima, since it existed since before the foundation of the city.
According to the AciPrensa article Nuestra Señora de la Merced - Patron Saint of Peru :
"This Order of Mercy, approved missions in 1235 as a military order by Pope Gregory IX, will preserve thousands of Christian prisoners, later becoming one dedicated to teaching and work in the social field."
The Virgin of La Merced is the patron saint of the Armed Forces of Peru, which is why she wears the shield of this military order on her chest. The procession of the Virgen de la Merced takes place on September 24, where the military and the population in general pay honors and tribute to the image of the Virgin.
I can personally say that I feel close to this invocation of the Virgin since my eldest son was born precisely on the day that the solemnity of Our Lady of Mercy is celebrated. Despite this, I had not visited a church with his name, which is why this walk was special and meaningful to me.
Es una imagen bastante grande, que se muestra con los brazos abiertos y extendidos al frente. En la mano derecha tiene un cetro real y en la izquierda unas cadenas abiertas. Su vestido y capa son blancos pero con muchos detalles bordados en dorado. En la cintura tiene un cinto con los colores de la bandera de Perú.
También tiene una hermosa corona y un velo de encaje blanco.
The image of the Virgin is not only found in the dome of the main façade, but also inside the Church. It is normally located near the main altar, but because entry is not allowed for health reasons (Covid-19 pandemic), they have placed the image closer to the door so that devotees can admire it.
It is quite a large image, shown with the arms open and extended in front. In his right hand he holds a royal scepter and in his left some open chains. Her dress and cape are white but with many gold embroidered details. At the waist he has a belt with the colors of the Peruvian flag.
She also has a beautiful crown and a white lace veil.
La construcción data de 1535 y fue Fransisco Pizarro quien dono las tierras para que los mercedarios construyeran su templo y su convento. Como es de esperarse, una edificación tan antigua ha tenido que ser restaurada muchas veces, debido al tiempo y los duros golpes de los terremotos que han azotado a la ciudad desde su construcción inicial, pero siempre se ha intentado mantener la estructura original.
From what I was able to investigate Web, this fascinating structure: "was built by Fray Miguel de Orénes in 1535. The facade is a finished sample of the Churrigueresque Lima baroque style. It was manufactured in a special quality of original granite from Panama, which was brought as ballast, a stone used as a weight that was placed on the bottom of the ship, to favor its balance, the galleons that came to load minerals in Callao. This artistically carved three-section portal, so fine, was built using gray and pink stones, forming a combination that is not found in other Lima temples.
The construction dates back to 1535 and it was Francisco Pizarro who donated the land so that the Mercedarians could build their temple and convent. As expected, such an old building has had to be restored many times, due to time and the harsh blows of the earthquakes that have hit the city since its initial construction, but the original structure has always been maintained.
As a curious fact, this church lacks a tower that was never finished, the reasons, apparently, were for political reasons but there is not much information available on this aspect.
Undoubtedly, this is a church with a long history and also many legends, the most popular being that of the Venerable Father Urraca, however they are too long stories to tell in this publication. There are many details and historical data that can be read on the web about this church but if you don't have time but would like to know a little more, I invite you to watch this video in which it is shown inside the church and also a look around you.
It is located in Jirón de La Unión, specifically in block 6, in the historic center of Lima.
It was really a great pleasure to share this pleasant experience with you. One of my favorite and most remembered walks in the beautiful city of Lima. I hope you can enjoy the images and all the information I was able to gather for this publication. Thanks for reading, greetings and blessings.
Todas las fotos fueron tomadas con mi celular Samsung A32.
El banner de portada y los separadores de textos son diseñados por mi en Canva.com
Uso traductor Deepl
Fuentes:
Iglesia de La Merced, El Convento De La Merced
Iglesia y Convento de Nuestra Señora de la Merced
Una Iglesia con más de 481 años!
[//]:# (!pinmapple -12.04847 lat -77.03274 long Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Merced en Lima by 