Museo del Convento de San Francisco y Catacumbas

About Museo del Convento de San Francisco y Catacumbas

The Museo del Convento de San Francisco y Catacumbas operates inside the San Francisco de Jesús el Grande complex, on the corner of Jirón Áncash and Jirón Lampa, facing the small square of the same name; the Franciscan community still lives in the convent. According to the museum, the route includes cloisters, cells, the religious art collection, the library —which once held more than 25,000 volumes— and the catacombs, open to the public since 1969 and used as a cemetery until the 19th century; the complex has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1988. Our take: the catacombs are the magnet, but what justifies the visit is walking through a viceregal convent that is still inhabited, cloister by cloister; it is not for anyone after a quick stop, nor for easily frightened children. The museum works with bilingual guides (Spanish and English) and estimates the route at about one hour; it opens every day, holidays included. Curation note: we found no ticket prices published by the museum, and its website gives two different schedules (closing at 18:00 on the services page and at 21:00 in the footer, which matches Google); we loaded 9:00–21:00, so it is worth confirming by phone.

Official website →