Iglesia de la Recoleta (Lima)

The Church of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary (Iglesia de los Sagrados Corazones de Jesús y María), also known as the Iglesia de la Recoleta, is a Catholic church in the Plaza Francia in the historic centre of Lima, Peru. It was declared Cultural heritage of Peru in 2001.

History
The recoleta de la Magdalena is one of the oldest in Lima since it was built in 1606. Its founder and promoter was Brother Juan de Lorenzana who managed to obtain the license from Viceroy Gaspar de Zúñiga and Archbishop Turibius of Mogrovejo. The dedication was adopted on June 23, 1606, with the name of Saint Mary Magdalene.

Several areas of the church collapsed in the earthquakes of 1687 and 1746 and it was rebuilt after a fire in 1868.

Architecture
The irregular small square attached to the atrium of the church stands out, which is juxtaposed with a pre-existing Inca path. Not only the layout of the floor remains from the baroque construction. After a neoclassical reconstruction, the current façade is in the neo-Gothic style.

The Gothic-Elizabethan floor plan has a long and narrow rectangular shape. In this one, the six chapels-niches on the side walls stand out. The front wall has been left octagonal due to the chamfered corners.

The main chapel and the nave are separated by a dividing main arch.