The Church of St. James (Santiago) in the Bolivian city of Curaçao de Carangas, which has earned the popular nickname “Sistine Chapel of the Andes” due to the frescoes adorning its interior walls, is being restored.
The project was announced on 21 April during a press conference given by Andrés Aramayo, Bolivia’s Deputy Minister of Promotion of Sustainable Tourism; Bishop of Oruro, Cristóbal Balíasic; architect Josefina Matas, who will direct the restoration; and Debra Hevia, chief of mission at the US Embassy.
The US will invest $66,240 to renovate the historic church, which dates back to the early 17th century.
Hevia said the funding comes from the U.S. State Department’s Cultural Preservation Fund, which has more than a 26-year history of protecting Bolivia’s cultural heritage.
“This church is beautiful. Its architectural style and murals tell the story of Bolivia, and we want to preserve them to share with the world,” he said, highlighting the importance of preserving Bolivia’s history and combating illegal trafficking of cultural heritage objects.
“As the Ministry of Sustainable Tourism, Culture, Folklore and Gastronomy, we see culture as a catalyst of our national pride, our essence, but also for social cohesion and peace, we have an urgent need to really understand where we come from and where we want to go,” Aramayo said at the press conference.
The Deputy Minister explained that the project, which will include the repair and waterproofing of the thatched roof as well as the reconstruction of the buttresses that support the building, will respect the architectural style and unique building materials of the church. In addition, the exterior walls and facades, which have deteriorated with age, will be restored.
The building, built between 1587 and 1608, is located in the Andean province of Sajama at an altitude of 12,788 feet above sea level.
It is a large structure made of stone and adobe, with stone buttresses and a gated entrance to the church complex, composed of two columns and a semicircular arch built in the Renaissance style.
Inside the church, there are paintings depicting biblical scenes on the walls and ceilings, which were completed in 1777 according to documents of the period belonging to the city of Curahuara de Carangas.
The church was declared a national monument in 1960. With this restoration, the city is expected to become a center of economic and social development through tourism as part of the national religious tourism strategy.
At the press conference, the local bishop expressed his gratitude to the United States as well as Germany, which funded previous restoration work on the church.
this story was first published By ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language affiliate of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
