The Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (), commonly known as The

Dome A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...

(), is a

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

church located in the intersection of Antonio José de Sucre Avenue and Jirón 28 de Julio, in Magdalena del Mar District, Lima, Peru. The work was conceived by the

Claretian The Claretians, officially named the Congregation of Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary (; abbreviated CMF), is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of Pontifical Right for men headquartered in Rome. It was f ...

priest Simón Llobet. Since 1957, the year of its inauguration, it has become one of the most visible religious and architectural symbols of the city despite its great demographic growth. It is the tallest church in Lima. The works were financed through donations and charitable events.

Architecture

The church sports a

neo-Renaissance style Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th-century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range of ...

architectural finish that ends in a dome on which rests the image of the

Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

with open arms, 6.5 m high, made from resin and

fibreglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass ( Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass c ...

by the sculptor Fredy Luque Sonco. Brought in parts from

Arequipa Arequipa (; Aymara language, Aymara and ), also known by its nicknames of ''Ciudad Blanca'' (Spanish for "White City") and ''León del Sur'' (Spanish for "South's Lion"), is a city in Peru and the capital of the eponymous Arequipa (province), ...

, it was hoisted in January 2006 during recovery works. Its characteristic pink and green colours have been maintained over the years, gaining splendour thanks to the restoration works on both the façade and inside the temple; in addition to the general repainting. The lighting company

Enel Enel S.p.A. is an Italian multinational manufacturer and distributor of electricity and gas. Enel was first established as a public body at the end of 1962, and then transformed into a limited company in 1992. In 1999, following the liberali ...

was in charge of providing exterior lighting. The bells were acquired thanks to donations from through the efforts of the women of ''Acción Católica''. Initially, the statue of the Virgin, built in 1956, located in the Monument to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and a few streets from the temple towards the

coast A coast (coastline, shoreline, seashore) is the land next to the sea or the line that forms the boundary between the land and the ocean or a lake. Coasts are influenced by the topography of the surrounding landscape and by aquatic erosion, su ...

, had been designed to be located at the top of the dome. However, due to its weight of more than four

ton Ton is any of several units of measure of mass, volume or force. It has a long history and has acquired several meanings and uses. As a unit of mass, ''ton'' can mean: * the '' long ton'', which is * the ''tonne'', also called the ''metric ...

s, it was impossible to locate it in that place. For that reason, it remained stored for forty years until it was finally placed in 1996 in the homonymous square at the end of Brazil Avenue.

References

{{coord, -12.08691, -77.06895, format=dms, type:landmark_region:PE, display=title Inmaculado Corazón de María Magdalena del Mar District Buildings and structures completed in 1957

Architecture

See also

References