Santa Clara Convent

After three tries, I finally got the opportunity to attend Mass at the Church and Convent of Santa Clara. I´ve attended Mass at most of the large churches near the city center of Cusco and I´ve enjoyed the experience greatly, both for both the spiritual uplift and for the pomp and grandeur of the masses in these impressive houses of worship. While the Cathedral and La Compania, another large church built by the Jesuits, are certainly the most impressive churches in town, Santa Clara is probably the most interesting. First, the mass is only held at 7:00 a.m. which is explicitly not one of the times listed outside of the door, a technique used, I´m convinced, to deter tourists. My friend Mary Walsh, who is a lifelong Catholic whose mother should be a candidate for sainthood, was even told that tourists were not welcome and was turned away. Second, the church is a cloistered nunnery-the oldest in Peru-and the nuns sing from behind a heavy metal grate in the back of the church, seperate from both the worshippers and the Priests. Third, the congregation is primarily made up of indigenous people and older women. Neither group is known for its height and no one in the church even came up to my shoulders which made me slightly self-concscious as I stood near the front of the church. Fourth, I was standing near the front to better appreciate the primary focus of the interior decor, the thousands of mirrors that cover almost every part of the front and side altars. Not surprisingly, the early Spanish invaders had a hard time attracting Christian Converts and, as the natives were fascinated by mirrors, mirrors were installed throughout the interior of the church to attract congregants. Just another day off the beaten path.