World · Latin America · 2 hrs ago
Getty and Peru to conserve historic Andean church and its art
The Getty Conservation Institute and Peru’s Ministry of Culture will conserve the Church of Rondocan in the Cusco region of the Andes.
The five-year project is due to start in 2027, with the Peruvian government paying its $5 million cost.
At 3,400 metres above sea level, the church is in an earthquake-prone area, so the work will include seismic stabilisation using local materials.
The church holds 330 historical objects, including eight paintings by Italian Jesuit artist Bernardo Bitti.
One of Bitti’s paintings will travel to Los Angeles for scientific analysis and conservation at the Getty campus.
Local people will be involved as caretakers and trained in how to look after the building and its art.
The church is part of the community’s cultural and spiritual heritage, as well as a historic building.
The Getty Conservation Institute and Peru’s Ministry of Culture will work together to conserve the Church of Santo Tomás de Aquino, also known as the Church of Rondocan.
The five-year project will strengthen the 17th-century church and preserve its collection of 330 historical objects.
The work will include seismic stabilisation using local materials, as the church is in an earthquake-prone area.
The Peruvian government will finance the $5 million project, which is due to start in 2027.
The collection includes eight paintings by Bernardo Bitti, and one will travel to Los Angeles for scientific analysis and conservation.
- Who
- The Getty Conservation Institute and Peru’s Ministry of Culture will work on the project.
- What
- A five-year effort to strengthen and conserve the church and its collection of 330 historical objects.
- When
- The work is due to start in 2027.
- Where
- The Church of Santo Tomás de Aquino, also known as the Church of Rondocan, in the Cusco region of Peru.
- Why
- To strengthen the building and preserve its art and cultural and spiritual heritage.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The Getty Conservation Institute completed a similar conservation project at the Church of Santiago Apóstol in nearby Kuñotambo.
Conservation work at the Church of Rondocan is due to start.
The project is planned to run for five years.
- Project cost
- $5 million
- Planned start
- 2027
- Project duration
- Five years
- Church elevation
- 3,400m above sea level
- Collection
- 330 historical objects, including eight paintings by Bernardo Bitti
What people are saying
We provide all the advanced conservation techniques available, and we handle the structural design of the project.
The art collection in this small town in the middle of nowhere is breathtaking.
The project is not only about the temple and its walls. It’s about the cultural and spiritual heritage of the church.
This church is much more than a historic building. It is part of the community’s memory, identity and everyday life.