The Trujillo Cathedral (also known as the Cathedral Basilica of Santa María) is the cathedral and main church of Trujillo, Peru. Its construction took 19 years, from 1647 to 1666. In 1967, it was elevated to the category of "Minor Basilica".

History

History At first it was founded as a mother church, after the foundation of Trujillo (1535-1540), with modest architecture. In 1616, the church was elevated to the category of Cathedral by

Pope Paul V Pope Paul V (; ) (17 September 1552 – 28 January 1621), born Camillo Borghese, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 16 May 1605 to his death, in January 1621. In 1611, he honored Galileo Galilei as a mem ...

; but unfortunately it was destroyed by the devastating earthquake of February 14, 1619, along with the city. The reconstruction was entrusted to Bartolomé de las Cuevas, and he also did not survive the earthquake of February 29, 1635. Consequently, as the episcopate needed a third, more consistent building, a large part of the work was built by the architect Francisco de Soto Ríos, from 1647, and then completed by Francisco Balboa in 1666. Its interior is quite sober. It presents

Rococo Rococo, less commonly Roccoco ( , ; or ), also known as Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and dramatic style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpte ...

altarpieces painted white with gold and a Baroque one with the same colors; the canvases that he conserves belong to the Cusco school of painting. The "exempt" main altarpiece stands out, that is to say that it is not leaning on any wall. It is in the

Churrigueresque Churrigueresque (; Spanish: ''Churrigueresco''), also but less commonly "Ultra Baroque", refers to a Spanish Baroque style of elaborate sculptural architectural ornament which emerged as a manner of stucco decoration in Spain in the late 17th c ...

baroque style and is covered in gold leaf. Only two of this type of altarpiece remain in Peru: the one in the Trujillo Cathedral and the one in the

Cusco Cathedral The Cathedral of Cusco or Cathedral Basilica of the Virgin of the Assumption is the main temple of the city of Cusco, in Peru and houses the headquarters of the Archdiocese of Cusco. The Cathedral Basilica of Cusco, together with the Triunfo te ...

. The cathedral has beautiful paintings on its vault and in the dome; for this reason it is known as the Sistine Chapel or the Vatican of the Coast, in a similar way to how the Church of San Pedro de Andahuaylillas (Cusco) is known as the Sistine Chapel or the Vatican of the Andes. It has the Cathedral Museum with religious works from the colonial era in gold and silver.

Baroque music

The most notable

maestro de capilla ( , , ), from German (chapel) and (master), literally "master of the chapel choir", designates the leader of an ensemble of musicians. Originally used to refer to somebody in charge of music in a chapel, the term has evolved considerably in i ...

of Trujillo cathedral, from 1721 to 1728, was the composer

Roque Ceruti Roque Ceruti (Milan c. 1683 or 1686 – Lima 1760) was an Italian composer in Peru. He was recruited as conductor of the Viceroy of Peru's private orchestra, and was a dominant italianizing influence during the period, though this was resented by ...

, later maestro at Lima Cathedral.Leslie Bethell The Cambridge History of Latin America 1984 -- Page 791 "From about 1721 to 1728 Ceruti directed music at Trujillo cathedral - returning to take the post of maestro de capilla at Lima on 1 August 1728. Ceruti's large extant repertory at the Archivo Arzobispal in Lima, La Plata cathedral, the Seminario .." Spanish painter Leonardo Jaramillo created the work ''Cristo de la columna'' (1643) which is located at this cathedral.

References

External links

Roman Catholic cathedrals in Peru Buildings and structures in Trujillo, Peru Tourist attractions in Trujillo, Peru Basilica churches in Peru {{Peru-RC-cathedral-stub