48b Lima Day 1 - San Francisco Monastery

Then it was onto the San Francisco Monastery, familiar ground for us as we
had visited here last year.
Queues of people snaked around the forecourt of the Cathedral. Today was a
holy day where worshippers came to give offerings and pray to the specific
saint, who in return will bless them with work.

We walked the halls of this 17th century building. Unfortunately, they do
not allow any photos to be taken within its walls. We visited its
impressive library with its century old books sitting on the shelves. So
old and fragile, handle them and you run the risk of them disintegrating
your hands. We visited many other rooms that displayed wonderful artwork
and other religious artefacts. One of its more interesting paintings, is
that of the Peruvian version of the last supper. Apostles sit with Jesus at
a round table and roast guinea pig takes pride of place in the middle of the
table.

We also revisited the eerie catacombs that lay beneath the cathedral.
Accumulated over the years, the bones of at least 70,000 people lie in rest.