On Sunday I went for a walk through the Plaza de Armas in Lima. We went to take pictures of annual migration of tourists who come from continents afar. We walked along Jirón de la Unión which is several closed off streets filled with restaurants and shops that connects the Plaza de Armas with the Plaza San Martin.




The day was overcast but luckily it was warm out. Saturdays and Sundays at Jirón de la Unión are the most frequented by the public and can get pretty crowded in the afternoon hours. Zdenka and I were hungry from all the site seeing and walking and we spotted this street cart that was operated by three women who were selling Picarones, which is deep fried dough covered in honey. The aroma of the honey in the air was so robust and floral that we could smell it from two blocks down. While eating our delicious and sticky Picarones I noticed an abundance of bees that quickly turned into a horde of bees who were feasting out of the trash can near the stand. I would have actually almost ate a bee myself if it wasn't for Zdenka's squeal of terror at the site of the winged arthropod.



Stomachs silenced and satisfied we continued our stroll through Jirón de la Unión until we came upon a church. Zdenka immediately identified it as La Merced, the very church where she had her first communion (I think that's how you spell it).




Anyways, La Basílica Menor y Convento de Nuestra Señora de la Merced as it is officially called in Spanish was constructed by Friar Miguel de Orenes in 1535, who was later given the title of archangel San Miguel.

La Merced is located on the corner of the fifth block of Jirón de la Unión in the historical district of Lima. The original temple was constructed of wood and the second one which remains to this day was made of adobe and brick.




The front entrance of La Merced is considered to be a historical relic and
is recognized for its amazing artistic quality. It was made from granite that
was brought originally from Panamá. The entrance adornment was constructed in
three seperate pieces and was designed in a unique fashion that cannot be found
in any other church in Lima. The columns of the entrance are fashioned in the baroque style.

The main figure in the center of the adornment just above the door entrance is
of Nuestra Señora de la Merced which was considered for centuries as the celestial
protector of the city.







the church was designated a Minor Basilica by Pope Pius XII in 1946. The church
has also survived several decades of earthquakes and fires and has been reconstructed and restored on numerous occasions. The interior has a rustic warmth to it that emanates a sense of tranquility and serenity (shot me if those mean the same thing, I'm being poetic hear).




In the cript located in the preparatory lie the remains of the La Merced's
original donor of the land with which the church and convent were build upon.
El Capitan Francisco de Becerra.

For those of you interested in visiting La Merced here are the hours when it is open to the public. There is also a museum too but I have no clue what it's hours are:

Hours open to the public
Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
Open 8:00 8:00 8:00 8:00 8:00 8:00 8:00
Closed 12:45 12:45 12:45 12:45 12:45 12:45 12:45
Open 16:00 16:00 16:00 16:00 16:00 16:00 7:00
Closed 20:00 20:00 20:00 20:00 20:00 20:00 20:00