The Cusco Religious Circuit is a tourist route for more than 400 years of history, art and faith of the Cusco people. Composed of four monuments located in the historic center of the city of Cusco: the Cathedral Basilica, the Archbishop’s Palace Museum, the San Blas temple and the San Cristóbal temple. We invite you to visit us, to learn more about the history of Cusco art and to live a unique experience in contact with the sacred.
The Religious Circuit in the imperial city of Cusco is one of the biggest tourist attractions because you will not only visit an old church, but you can visit a lot of old churches.
The Religious Circuit ticket will give you the opportunity to visit not one, but 3 churches, including the Cathedral of Cusco and the Museum of Religious Art. In these four places you will be able to appreciate works of religious art from the 16th and 17th centuries belonging to the Cusco school of painting. Canvases with religious and pagan themes with carved cedar wood frames, pulpits, stalls, choirs; all works of art produced by artists from Cusco with European influence.
Cusco Religious Circuit Ticket:
Remember that you can buy your full or partial Cusco Religious Circuit Ticket in the same places of visit and that the ticket is valid for 30 days, if you want to take your time you can.
Places to visit:
During this tour we will be able to observe the imposing Cathedral of Cusco, the Temple of San Blas, the Temple of San Cristóbal and the Archbishop Museum.
The Museum of Religious Art (Archbishop Museum):
It is located on Hatunrumiyoc Street, 2 blocks from the Plaza de Armas of Cusco. This same pedestrian street is also the site of the famous 12-angle stone. The museum is located in the old palace of the archbishopric of Cusco. The palace has Spanish arabesque features, including a gloomy cloistered courtyard as the central fountain, with the walls covered in blue and white tiles. There are also beautiful examples of carved wood and Mudejar-style ceilings.
The Church of San Blas:
Apparently the church was erected on an Incan sanctuary dedicated to the worship of the god «Illapa» which is composed of Lightning, Thunder and Lightning. It is believed that it was inaugurated in 1544, during the period of the second Bishop of Cusco, Fray Juan Solano, OP, although some other versions say that it was opened after 1559 by Viceroy Andrés Hurtado de Mendoza.
It was founded as an indigenous parish in 1572 at the initiative of the magistrate Juan Polo de Ondegardo, who chose the area of ??Tococache, where the huacas of the Incas Huiracocha, Túpac Yupanqui and Huayna Cápac were located. The current temple was completely rebuilt after the 1650 earthquake, although it retains the typical appearance of the Indian parishes founded in the time of Viceroy Toledo. It is all made of adobe, with gabled roofs, and has a modest portal devoid of ornamentation.
The Church of San Cristóbal:
It is 10 minutes from the Plaza de Armas of Cusco; The climb to this place will be worth it, even if you don’t like churches. The wide square next to the Church offers a magnificent viewpoint over Cusco. A clear day will allow you to see as far as the snowy Ausangate, the highest mountain in the region.
Inside the church you will find beautiful Cusco religious art, as well as some brilliant examples of how the «extirpators of idolatries» deceived the indigenous population.
Ironically, the site was an Inca barracks; its main altar has carved a representation of the «Pachamama», a virgin with bare breasts; this is evidence of the relatively easy coexistence between colonial Catholicism and the Andean religion.
The Imposing Cathedral:
The Cathedral of the Imperial City of Cusco or let’s call it by its real name «Cathedral Basilica of the Virgin of the Assumption» is the main temple of the city and houses the headquarters of the Diocese of the cosmopolitan city of Cusco. The Cathedral Basilica of Cusco, together with the temples of Triumph and the Sagrada Familia make up the Cathedral Complex.
According to history, in the Incario the Plaza of the city of Cusco was surrounded by palaces of the Incas, built to house their “panakas” or royal families; one of those palaces was the Kiswarkancha corresponding to the Inca Wiraqocha, which on its eastern side had a circular building named «Suntur Wasi» which was a kind of «house of arms and shields»; on these two original constructions is the current Cathedral and its two minor churches.
Why buy the Cusco Religious Circuit Ticket?
The rationale is that you will be able to visit four places in less than one day. You will be able to save a lot since the expense is greater by paying the entrance in each site separately. These attractions can only be seen by acquiring the ticket for the religious circuit, and it is one of the best ways to enjoy the Historic Center of Cusco. Last but not least, this tour will give you a clear idea of ??the history of Catholicism in Peru, its coexistence and mixing with the Andean religion, and some wonderful examples of religious art from the Cusco school.
Where can I buy the Cusco Religious Circuit Ticket?
You can buy the Cusco Religious Circuit Ticket in the Museum of Religious Art, in the Church of San Blas, the Church of San Cristóbal or in the Cathedral of Cusco.
The Partial Cusco Religious Circuit Ticket: It consists of the visit of only one of the temples within this circuit.
- Cusco Cathedral
- Archbishop Museum
- Temple of San Blas
- Temple of San Cristóbal
The general tourist tick Cusco Religious Circuit Ticket: As its name says, it consists of the visit to the four places within this circuit.
- Cusco Cathedral, Archbishop Museum, Temple of San Blas, Temple of San Cristóbal.
Rates:
- Adult: 40 PEN
- Student: 20 PEN
Partial Ticket:
Cathedral
- Adult: 25 PEN
- Student: 12.50 PEN
San Blas
- Adult: 15 PEN
- Student: 7.50 PEN
San Cristobal
- Adult: 10 PEN
- Student: 5 PEN
Archbishop Museum
- Adult: 15 PEN
- Student: 7.50 PEN
Schedule:
- Museum of Religious Art: Every day from 8 am. at 6 pm.
- Church of San Blas: Every day from 8 am. at 6 pm.
- Church of San Cristóbal: Every day from 9 am. at 5 pm.
- Cathedral Basilica of Cusco: Every day from 10 am. at 6 pm.
The Religious Circuit of Cusco is one of the most beautiful and significant within the Imperial City of Cusco, due to the marvelous architecture of the different places to visit and the great cultural wealth that they entail, they bring together a combination of unique characteristics such as the Gothic, Baroque and Renaissance styles.
Note that:
- Children do not pay until they are 9 years old and must present an identity document proving their age.
- The rate is the same for both Nationals and Foreigners.
- To acquire tickets for both national and foreign students, they must prove with a valid official card issued by their university, they do not have an age limit.
- The religious circuit ticket cannot be purchased online, its purchase is in person and has no availability limit so you can buy it the same day of your visit.
Regulation of Entrance to the Temples:
In order to guarantee respect for our temples and the greater comfort of our visitors, we request that the following rules be taken into account:
- Respect the silence.
- Enter correctly dress.
- Do not interrupt religious services.
- Respect the cleanliness of the temple.
- Refrain from taking pictures and recording videos.
- Do not touch or damage the art pieces.
Visiting this wonderful city is a real adventure whose protagonist will be yourself, instead of a memorable experience, that is why Cusco is definitely one of the most incredible cities with a great variety of archaeological centers and tours such as Sacred Valley, Camino Inca or Machu Picchu. To enjoy an unforgettable experience, contact Inka Trail Backpacker, a company that will better assist you during your visit, of course it is always with the necessary advice for you and yours as well as the guarantee, responsibility and security that characterizes us. If you visit the city of Cusco another impressive destinations that you can visit are the hike to rainbow mountain peru or the humantay lake tour from cusco, which only takes one day. But if you are gonna to stay more days in Cusco, other archaeological places you can know will be the choquequirao trek peru, the salkantay trek to machu picchu, and the classic inca trail 4 days 3 nights.
