- TURY.CLUB
- Tourist Objects
- Peru
- Arequipa
- Arequipa Central Square - Plaza De Armas
Arequipa Central Plaza - Plaza De Armas was built in 1540, simultaneously with the founding of the city itself, and is the historical center and the "heart" of Arequipa. Plaza De Armas in its shape is a square whose side is 110 meters long. Until 1868, the entire city market occupied the entire space of the square, merchants from the vicinity of Arequipa, from other provinces and cities of Peru gathered here, fairs and holidays were held. The square almost immediately became an arena for religious, political, social events, military parades were held here, politicians spoke and citizens gathered. In the northern part of the square in 1544 a small chapel was erected - the forerunner of the current Arequipa Cathedral. In 1656, on the site of the chapel, designed by architect Andrés Espinoza, a cathedral was built of processed volcanic stone, in the neo-Renaissance style with Gothic elements. Its facade was decorated with 70 columns with Corinthian capitals and two large side arcades, crowned with a facade of a couple of high towers in the Renaissance style. A strong fire in 1844 destroyed most of the Old Town, the Cathedral and the Plaza De Armas itself were significantly damaged, reconstruction works were carried out until 1868. On the east, west and south sides of the square are surrounded by three famous arcades (portals) of Arequipa. They are made of granite, in the architectural style of the Neo-Renaissance, during the reconstruction of 1868 the arcades were significantly rebuilt. In the colonial period, they housed the Arequipa Town Hall, today the Arequipa Municipality is located here. In 1915, the arcades of Arequipa became two-tier - the second floor was completed, more “airy”, with Venetian-style windows, crowned with a balustrade and decorated with decorative ornaments. However, to this day the portals have not been preserved in this form, the earthquakes of 1958 and 1960 caused significant damage to them, during the reconstruction the second floor was decided to be restored in the same form as the first level (in the form of an arched gallery). In the center of the square there is a fountain crowned with a bronze sculpture of an angel with a pipe, which the townspeople nicknamed Tuturutu. The sculpture was installed at the fountain in 1735, during which time the angel “lost” its wings, several times it was removed from the square and returned again. According to one of the legends associated with the sculpture, Tuturutu is a soldier for his staunchness and devotion, who, after his death, became the Angel of Glory. Plaza De Armas as part of the historical center of Arequipa is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
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