Archives for posts with tag: convent

Our neighbours come to visit

July 5, 12 //
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By Laurent Carrasset, Managing Director, Peru

One of the high points of reopening Palacio Nazarenas has been welcoming in local people to a building that has been closed for seven years. We’ve had so many heartfelt comments from visitors who’ve said how proud and how grateful they are to Orient-Express for bringing ‘their’ convent back to life. It was very important to them that an historic building in such a key location, close by a national museum, should be properly cared for and open to the public.

Mass is held in the nun's cell with the painting of Senor de Huanca.

Many of these visitors headed straight to the former nun’s cell where the miraculous image of Senor de Huanca covers one wall. At last they were able to pay their respects to this depiction of a vision of Christ once again. Seeing them venerate this sacred painting—now beautifully restored—made all our work worthwhile.

The painting of Senor de Huanca

August 1, 11 //
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By Enrique Palacio, Principal Architect

When you walk past the front of Palacio Nazarenas you’ll see that one of the stones in the wall to the left of the door is shiny.

It’s been rubbed smooth by devotees of Senor de Huanca, a painting of Christ inside the hotel on the other side of the wall.

The painting of Senor de Huanca in Palacio Nazarenas

 

In the days when Palacio Nazarenas was a Carmelite convent a nun had a vision of Christ in her small private room. An artist created the wall painting to record the vision in the location where it took place.

Over the centuries the condition of the painting has deteriorated and we are currently working with the Regional Direction of Peru’s Ministry of Culture to restore it.

It is hugely venerated in Cuzco, and we are talking with the Carmelite nuns about providing access to Senor de Huanca for worshippers to pray.