Sanctuary of the Lord of Solitude

The Temple keeps the image of the Lord of Solitude, Patron of the city of Huaraz, whose image dates back to the time of the founding of the city in the 16th century. It is said that four very similar images arrived from Spain, one arrived in Huaraz and his brothers went to Pomallucay, Cochas and Chaucayán.

Another version indicates that in 1692, the image of the crucified Christ arrived from Huari, who later became known as the Lord of Solitude. Current studies have shown that Spaniards did not send complete images, only the faces in the images. This explains why the body of the Lord of Soledad is made of maguey, a wood that does not exist in the Iberian Peninsula.

After 1700, the construction of the Temple of Soledad began. The Ancashino historian, poet and essayist Marcos Yauri claims to have heard the story that the Indians who built the main altar of this temple, secretly placed in it the stone or Illa that represented the God Huari; This explains the great veneration that over time the peasants of Huaraz came to have for the image of the Lord of Solitude.

In 1725 an earthquake destroyed Huaraz, forcing the temple of Soledad to be rebuilt. 50 years later, the Spanish Francisco Vásquez donated his Huapra estate for the care of the temple, with which devotion to the image grew.

The Huaracinos, proud of their patron, held large parties to venerate him every May 3, the date of The Invention of the Cross, with ancestral dances accompanied by native music. Its original structure was destroyed by the 1970 earthquake, the current one is a modern construction that preserves the idea of the three naves, which is a characteristic of Catholic churches.

The interior is decorated by large murals with biblical motifs, painted by Teresa Luna and Cassio Marino in 1981, in the side spaces there are chapels decorated and embossed in gold leaf, which house images, among which those that appear in procession during the Huaracina Holy Week, of colonial life size, these are: The Lord of Ramos, a polychrome cedar image with which the Holy Week begins. The image of the Nazarene, a fully articulated image representing the three falls of Christ on the way to Golgotha. The Lying Christ, the Lord of the Resurrection with which the Holy Week representation ends. María Magdalena, San Juan, the image of legendary origin of the Patron of Solitude and San Sebastián Original Patron of Huaraz.

In May, tribute is paid to the patron saint, starting from May 1 to May 12. During the festival days, the sacred image travels in procession through the main streets of Huaraz accompanied by songs and prayers from the devotees. Accompanying the festival are groups of shacshas, hualquillas, atahualpas, huanquillas from Cajacay, and pallas.

Location

Soledad neighborhood. District and Province of Huaraz.

Mass schedule

Monday to Saturday: 7:00 pm.

Sundays: 7:00 am, 9:00 am, 11:00 am, 5:00 pm, 7:00 pm.

How to get?

On foot: 15 minutes from the main square of Huaraz.

Car: 5 minutes by car from the main square of Huaraz.

History of the Lord of La Soledad Sanctuary

After 1700, the construction of the temple of La Soledad began. Huaraz in its beginnings had an architecture of circular houses, which were demolished to make way for gridded houses, with rectangular blocks and narrow houses after the 1725 earthquake that destroyed Huaraz, forcing the temple of La Soledad to be rebuilt. 50 years later, the Spanish Francisco Vásquez donated his Huapra estate for the care of the temple.

Temple of La Soledad at the beginning of the year 1900

Its original structure was destroyed by the 1970 earthquake, which destroyed most of the city, leaving the Plaza de Armas quadrilateral. The few colonial monuments collapsed and all traditional architectural vestiges disappeared, causing the loss of its cultural identity. The current Sanctuary is a modern construction that preserves the idea of the three naves, which is a characteristic of Catholic churches.

The interior is decorated by large murals with biblical motifs, painted by Teresa Luna and Cassio Marino in 1981.

Interior of the Temple

In the lateral spaces it presents chapels decorated and embossed in gold leaf, which house images, among which those that go out in procession during the Huaracina Holy Week, of colonial life size, stand out, these are: The Lord of Ramos, cedar image polychrome with which Holy Week begins. The image of the Nazarene, a fully articulated image representing the three falls of Christ on the way to Golgotha. The Lying Christ, the Lord of the Resurrection with which the Holy Week representation ends. María Magdalena, San Juan, the image of legendary origin of the Patron of Solitude and San Sebastián Original Patron of Huaraz. The image of the Lord of Solitude is located on the main altar, made of mahogany wood with 24-karat gold leaf decorations, the work of the Don Bosco Artisan Cooperative of Chacas, Province of Asunción.

The current construction is located in the La Soledad neighborhood, District and Province of Huaraz. It is the Main Temple of the City of Huaraz, inside it houses the image of the Lord of Solitude.

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