The facade of the church at Lampa close to Juliaca in the Peruvian Andes


The main attraction in Lampa, the Templo de La Piedad, is also the result of Torres Belón generosity. In 1960, he built a beautiful, marble-covered chapel (where he and his wife are now buried) and got the Vatican to send a plaster model of Michelangelo’s wonderful statue of La Pietá to Lampa. The agreement was that after casting an aluminium copy of the statue, the mould would be broken. Of course, the aluminium copy was made and the statue of La Piedad is now on display in the chapel, but the plaster mould was preserved. This is now on display in the municipalidad – the town hall – and can be visited. The church in Lampa, where the Templo de La Piedad is housed, is very beautiful and worth a visit in its own right. There is a wonderful carved pulpit and a lovely nave. The church also has some good Cusqueña school painting, and the catacombs can be visited. The church was completed in 1650. If the church is closed, ask in the town hall.


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Photo credit: © Thornton Cohen / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
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