CUZCO, ARCHDIOCESE OF. — In the Republic of Peru, department of Cuzco. In chronological order it is the first diocese of Peru, having been erected by Paul III on 8 January 1537. Cuzco was created an archdiocese on 23 May 1943, with Ayacucho or Huamanga as its suffragan.
It has an area of 158,235 sq. km. and a population of 850,000, of whom 835,000 are Catholics, distributed in 146 parishes, served by 81 secular priests and 58 regular clergy; about 200 nuns. The Dominicans have in Cuzco a Studium where their young religious from all Latin America are trained. The archdiocese has a seminary and numerous churches (845), several of which are notable for their artistic merit. The cathedral, raised to the rank of minor basilica on 24 September 1924, is a fine Renaissance-style building with three naves; in its chapel dedicated to the Señor de la Agonía there is a canvas attributed to Van Dyck. Also famous is its bell, which can be heard at a distance of eight leagues. The church of Santo Domingo, in colonial style, contains good paintings and valuable wood sculptures from the period of Spanish rule. The church of San Blas possesses a finely carved pulpit from 1681, considered the finest in Latin America. Also worthy of mention is the cloister of the convent of La Merced.