If you are interested in religious tourism and knowing more about the magical places, then I advise you to visit the different temples of the imperial city of Cusco. However, I will guide you through this article about the impressive things you can discover about the historical beauty of the church of Belen in Cusco.
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Before visiting the church of Bethlehem of Cusco, we must know about its historical origin so that when you go to the church you understand what each element that is inside is about. Well, the temple of Bethlehem in the beginning was not a church as such, it was first built as a parish or minor temple in 1550, at that time it was considered a convent of greater antiquity.
But, in the year 1650 the city of Cusco was shaken by a strong earthquake that destroyed much of the old temple of Bethlehem, so it had to be built again and the construction was completed only in 1715, who was in charge of the construction was the architect Juan Tuyru Túpac.
History tells us that this religious place was not originally called Bethlehem, but it was called Temple of the Magi, but something beautiful happened here. According to what we are told, in the middle of the 16th century, some fishermen found a huge box floating.
Such was the curiosity and uncertainty on the part of the fishermen who found out and decided to open the box, and to their great surprise they found inside a large image of the Virgin of Belen with the child in her arms, next to it there was a note that left everyone surprised.
The note indicated that the image found was the Virgin of Bethlehem and that it was destined for the city of Cusco, when the representatives of the church of Lima found out, they immediately moved the image of the Virgin to the city of Cusco; but as she did not have a place to dwell, they decided that the Temple of the Magi would be the place where she would rest.
Later the temple was renamed Belen Church, regarding the architecture of the church it was built in the form of a Latin cross and has only one nave. Its façade has a mestizo baroque style and is divided into three sections.
The cover is surrounded by two high towers, with little decoration; to the interior of the towers are the bells. Inside the church there are beautiful structures, among them the main altar guarded by the image of the Virgin of Bethlehem.
Also inside you find effigies of saints of the Franciscan order, outstanding canvases such as "The Flight from Egypt", The Nativity, "The Child in the midst of the Doctors" and more. Every church has a story to tell and Bethlehem was no exception, although it is located on the edge of the historic center of the city, you can visit it for free especially during mass hours, every day of the week.
Effigy of the Virgin of Belen, known as the Mamacha of Bethlehem. It has a crown that is adorned with precious stones and gold ornaments. In its lateral niches are various canvases such as the Archangel Gabriel, the Guardian Angel.
Likewise we will be able to find different saints among them the most outstanding are The Virgen of the Leche, San Antonio de Padua, San José, the Adoration of the three kings. That's not all, you can also appreciate the paintings belonging to the Cusquenian School of painting.
Don't be left with little, I advise you to visit all the churches of Cusco and learn more about the history of Cusco.
