The monumental complex of the Basilica and Convent of San Francisco of Lima, also known as "San Francisco el Grande" or "San Francisco de Jesús", is located in the Historic Center of Lima, Peru. This church together with the Sanctuary Nuestra Señora de la Soledad and the Church del Milagro set up one of the welcoming and artistic corners of Lima. Ramón Menéndez Pidal, Spanish philologist and scholar in this regard commented: "It is the largest and noblest monument that the conquest erected in these prodigious lands". The church and convent are part of the Historic Centre of Lima, which was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1991. The Church of San Francisco de Jesús is located in the intersection of the third block of the Jirón Ancash (Calle San Francisco) with the first block of the Jirón Lampa (Calle Soledad).
This set of religious precincts is one of the most important and best architectural centers of the city. It is also one of the most extensive and beautiful legacies of the viceroyalty era, consequently becoming one of the cultural centers of Peru that generates increased interest in visitors. The buildings of the Sanctuary of Nuestra Señora de la Soledad, with a Neoclassical façade; the Convent of San Francisco itself, with a Baroque façade, and the Chapel del Milagro, with a Neoclassical façade, make up the monumental complex.
CATACOMBS
The building includes catacombs, which were the old cemetery in colonial times. It operated as such until 1810 and it is estimated that at that time it must have housed up to 70,000 people. Today the different rooms contain a good number of bones classified by type and arranged on some occasions in a rather artistic fashion, such as those in the mass grave. Some doors of this crypt, according to some hypotheses, lead to corridors that communicate with other churches and even with the Government Palace. The catacombs were discovered in 1951.
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