San Pedro Apóstol de Andahuaylillas

Peru

I first visited this church on a visit to Peru a few years ago, accompanied by my petite blonde Arabic girlfriend at the time (who later became my first wife). Built in the late 16th C. by the Jesuits, it is supported by the World Monuments Fund and is currently undergoing extensive renovations. It is located approximately 40km in the mountains outside Cusco, where we were based. We took a charter omnibus into the Andes. The passengers included a friendly mix of Europeans and South Americans. When the crowd started rousing songs in Spanish, I immediately joined in, singing at the top of my voice in gibberish-Spanish, much to the amused embarrassment of my bride-to-be. She couldn't help but laugh. We were shocked, then, to discover this church amongst the desolate highland terrain. The timber and white stucco exterior belied--as you can tell from the simple photo (above)-- a magnificent interior. We were quite moved. I confess to you, having been educated by the Jesuits, I felt a mix of pride and belonging on beholding this beautiful church. I felt at home.