SAN FRANCISCO CONVENT

Probably the most spectacular of Lima's colonial-era churches, the Convent of Saint Francis is a strikingly restored, yellow-and-white 17th-century complex that survived the massive earthquake of 1746. The facade is the favorite of thousands of pigeons that rest on rows on the ridges that rise up the towers. Cloisters and interiors are lined with beautiful azulejos (glazed ceramic tiles) from Seville; carved mudéjar (Moorish-style) ceilings are overhead. The mandatory guided tour takes visitors past the cloisters to a fine museum of religious art, with beautifully carved saints and a series of portraits of the apostles by Francisco Zurbarán, the famed Spanish painter. For many, though, the most fascinating component of the visit is the descent into the catacombs, which were dug in 1546 as a burial ground for priests and others. (As many as 75,000 bodies were interred here before the main cemetery was built.) There are loads of bones - it is unknown how many levels down they go - and a circled well lined made of perfectly laid skulls and femurs. Also of great interest are the church, outfitted with an impressive neoclassical altar, and a fantastic 17th-century library with 20,000 books, many of them date to the first years after Lima's foundation. A breathtaking carved Moorish ceiling over a staircase is a reconstruction of the original library from 1625.

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