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All 150 Lima Attractions »

Church of San Francisco (Iglesia de San Francisco)

Ancash Street, Lima, Peru
01/427-1381
As featured in 3 days in Lima
Ranked #9 of 104 attractions in Lima
4.5 of 5 stars 198 Reviews
Type: Religious Sites, Historic Sites, Libraries
Fee: Yes
Owner description: This church and monastery of St. Francis (circa 1674) is known for its catacombs that contain the remains of more than 70,000 people and a magnificent...... more » Owner description: This church and monastery of St. Francis (circa 1674) is known for its catacombs that contain the remains of more than 70,000 people and a magnificent library that houses thousands of antique texts. « less
Useful Information: Activities for older children
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198 reviews from our community

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Date Rating
Fairview, Texas
Senior Contributor
25 reviews 25 reviews
Reviews in 15 cities Reviews in 15 cities
4 helpful votes 4 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed May 25, 2012 NEW

One of top places to vista for Historic Catholic places in South America. Catacombs are highly unusual. Rest of place shows the extent of Catholic history . Beautiful tour and place to visit. More

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See 2 more reviews by TXtraveler67_71 for Lima
Irvine, California
Senior Contributor
32 reviews 32 reviews
Reviews in 20 cities Reviews in 20 cities
10 helpful votes 10 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed May 24, 2012 NEW

The catacombs with bones, library and last supper peru style are the highlight. Unfortunately we went with Spanish speaking tour (first available) due to short of time, still it's worth the visit and the 7 soles admission fees. Not recommended bringing younger than 10 years old kids due to the nature of the highlights. More

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See 4 more reviews by simpangratis for Lima
Anchorage
Contributor
19 reviews 19 reviews
Reviews in 12 cities Reviews in 12 cities
6 helpful votes 6 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed May 24, 2012 NEW

Lima has many ornate churches. The catacombs under the church are quite unusual and interesting to see. More

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See 4 more reviews by AnchorageMelissa for Lima
Mammoth Lakes, California
Senior Contributor
33 reviews 33 reviews
Reviews in 10 cities Reviews in 10 cities
2 helpful votes 2 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed May 23, 2012 NEW

The guided tour was great. This site was worth the visit. We got there 10 minutes before the first tour started (they were not yet open). Some people we met on the trip went later in the day. Their tour group was packed and they were rushed through, the exact opposite of our experience. They went the same day as... More

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See 5 more reviews by Blatzicher for Lima
Potomac, Maryland
Senior Reviewer
8 reviews 8 reviews
Reviews in 7 cities Reviews in 7 cities
5 helpful votes 5 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed May 20, 2012

Central to life of the Church in its time. Interesting More

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Toronto,Ontario,Canada
Senior Contributor
45 reviews 45 reviews
Reviews in 18 cities Reviews in 18 cities
36 helpful votes 36 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed May 19, 2012

They charge a fee for the museum and catacomb. The church itself is free. if you have not seen a catacomb with human bones and skull stacking around at different chambers. This is an eye opener. The catholic art work is more local (South American than European). A lot of amazing wood craving works as well. I have a good... More

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See 3 more reviews by dennisk32 for Lima
Brooklyn, New York
Reviewer
3 reviews 3 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
5 of 5 stars Reviewed May 19, 2012

Interesting tour of this Franciscan monastery and its catacombs (25,000 people are buried here!). Our guide brought to life the history of the architecture, art, and religion of the site. A definite must visit. More

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Panama City, Panama
Contributor
11 reviews 11 reviews
Reviews in 8 cities Reviews in 8 cities
3 of 5 stars Reviewed May 18, 2012

You visit not only the church but a convent, library (with XVI century books that you can only see from a distance) and catacombs. Take a guided tour so that you will know the history behind the sights. More

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See 2 more reviews by josepancho for Lima
Australia
Senior Reviewer
10 reviews 10 reviews
Reviews in 5 cities Reviews in 5 cities
2 helpful votes 2 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed May 16, 2012

The church (free entry) was very interesting to visit, especially on a Sunday morning when mass is heard. Outside in the courtyard, there were also performers and musicians in traditional dress that afterwards posed with locals for photos. The monastery costs to enter (7 soles/adult), a bit pricey perhaps for locals as I saw one mother and her children turn... More

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See 4 more reviews by HM0nkey for Lima
Castries, St. Lucia
Contributor
13 reviews 13 reviews
Reviews in 6 cities Reviews in 6 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
3 of 5 stars Reviewed May 15, 2012

The workmanship of the ceilings and the art on the walls, truly deserve to be better preserved. I am glad I got to visit while there is still something to see. The old Library: Spectacular!!!! Many of the people on my tour took pictures even though it was clearly restricted to do so. :( Maybe they don't understand the damage... More

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See 4 more reviews by CarolynJ519 for Lima

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