1839.] THE CATHEDRAL. 115 



about the building, detract very much from the effect that 

 so large a structure would naturally produce ; yet they indi- 

 cate the vastness of the means at the command of its projec- 

 tors. Says Caldcleugh, in his Travels in South America : # 

 " The riches which have been lavished at various times upon 

 the interior of this edifice, are scarcely to be credited any- 

 where but in a city which once paved a street with ingots of 

 silver to do honor to a new viceroy. The balustrades sur- 

 rounding the great altar, and the pipes of the organ, were of 

 silver. It may be mentioned, as a proof of the abundance 

 of silver ornaments, that in 1821, one and a half ton of silver 

 was taken from the churches in Lima without beinsr missed, 

 to meet the exigencies of the state." The columns, or pillars, 

 forming the balustrade, are of Ionic form, twelve feet high 

 and one and a half thick. Above the altar is a massive sil- 

 ver gilt crown. The tabernacle is seven feet and a half high, 

 and composed of wrought gold, set with a profusion of dia- 

 monds and emeralds. On either side of the altar there are 

 tall silver candelabra, each weighing over seven hundred 

 pounds. The seats and pulpit in the choir are exquisitely 

 carved. The interior of the cathedral is divided into three 

 naves, and it is paved with large tiles. The roof is richly 

 pannelled and carved, and rests on arches springing from a 

 double row of square stone pillars. On high festival days, 

 the priests wear robes and ornaments embroidered in gold, 

 and set with precious stones, to correspond with the magnifi- 

 cent decorations of the altar at which they minister. 



Besides the cathedral, there are upwards of fifty other 

 churches and convents, which cover full one fourth of the 

 area of the city. Conspicuous among the former, are those 

 of San Lazaro, San Francisco, and Santo Domingo — the last 

 two belonging to convents of the same name. San Lazaro 

 boasts of a tasteful exterior, and its interior is rich, but ex- 

 ceedingly chaste. The Franciscan convent is the largest 

 monastic establishment in the city. It stands near the Plaza 

 Mayor, and covers, including all its buildings, two entire 



* Vol. II, p. 56. 



