Monday, February 23, 2009

Nunnery Shenanigans

Above is a great example of the termite fantasticness I came across throughout the monastery, and below is an image from one of the many personal kitchens, they used to have access to the rooftops, but the staircases had been either paved over or gated like this one. I did climb up to the top at this barricade and looked over the other side of the roof, and it was a view of every other view from a normal rooftop in Arequipa: there were dogs sniffing around and the neighboring houses kitchen ventilation systems. It was a letdown, but fun to realize the timewarp we were in architecturally. Lovely.
This is the laundry center. Earthen pots! How wicked! I can imagine the gossip going down at this spot back in the day; scandalous...
Here is the second to longest and narrowest of streets within the walls of the monastery. 
This was the closest I could get to these images without being horrified by the attention to detail Catholics use when depicting Christ on a cross... But pretend it's a street fight, or an argument with a taxi driver. Awesome arm posturing is what I'm trying to get at.


This is the garden we snuck into, and below is the water purification method used by the nuns. 

Above is this fountain that I saw postcards for several places before we came to the monastery, so it must have been important.... The begonias were everywhere, and this blue was painted over so many of the walls, it was so beautiful! And be sure to note the termite issue with that shutter!  There were a lot of wooden doors and shutters that had been taken over by termites, but instead of being replaced, they were painted or just treated. It was eerie to stare into, but also beautiful.

This is an old pulpit from one of the chapels no longer in use. I was scared the floor was gonna open up and I'd fall into hell for taking this picture, but really.... Wouldn't you?







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