La Merced Church and Convent

Erected in 1536 and rebuilt in 1680 after the great earthquake, the Iglesia de La Merced ranks just below Cusco Cathedral and La Compañía Church in importance.

The church and convent were founded by Riña Sebastián de Castañeda in 1535 on a plot donated by the Marquis Francisco Pizarro.

La Merced has a beautiful facade and lovely cloisters with a mural depicting the life of the Merced Order's founder, the French St. Pedro Nolasco.

The sacristy contains a small museum of religious art, including a spectacular solid-gold monstrance swathed in precious stones.

The church's crypt shelters the remains of two famous conquistadors, Diego de Almagro and Gonzalo Pizarro. When Almagro began his expedition to Chile, he brought along two Mercederian chaplains from Cusco.

The church was designed a Minor Basilica by Pope Pius XII in 1946.