Lima

Stored: Lima

Populated Place: Lima
-12.0600,-77.0375
Status (Church Vitality):	Active
Historic:	Yes
Type:	City
Country:	Peru
Subdivision:	Lima Region
Founded:
Population:	11517000
Catholic Population:
Catholic Percentage:	80%
Official Languages:
Catholicism Introduced:
Catholicism Status:
Parishes:	125
Notable Catholic Sites:	Lima Metropolitan Cathedral; Basilica and Convent of Santo Domingo; Sanctuary and Convent of Saint Rose of Lima; Sanctuary of Our Lord of Miracles (Las Nazarenas); Basilica and Convent of San Francisco
Patron Saint:	Saint Rose of Lima
Website:	https://www.munlima.gob.pe

Lima is the capital and largest city of Peru, situated on the central coast along the Pacific Ocean in the fertile Lima River valley. With a metropolitan population exceeding 11.5 million as of 2025 estimates, it anchors the Archdiocese of Lima, the Primate See of Peru and a beacon of faith since the Spanish conquest. Renowned for its colonial-era shrines and the world's largest religious procession—the October devotion to Our Lord of Miracles—Lima embodies Catholic resilience amid urban challenges, fostering vocations and Marian piety that draw pilgrims from across the Americas.

History

Lima was founded on 18 January 1535 by Francisco Pizarro as Ciudad de los Reyes (City of Kings) in honor of the Epiphany. Its strategic port facilitated the rapid spread of Catholicism in the New World.

Early Settlement

Pre-Inca cultures like the Lima thrived in the valley from 100–650 AD, venerating natural springs later baptized as sacramental sites. Pizarro's arrival marked the inception of organized evangelization; the first Mass was celebrated on the feast of the Three Kings.

Catholic Evangelization

The Diocese of Lima was erected on 14 May 1541 by Pope Paul III, initially suffragan to Seville, and elevated to archdiocese on 12 February 1546 with Fr. Gerónimo de Loayza as first archbishop. Saint Turibius of Mogrovejo (Archbishop 1580–1606) founded the first seminary in the Americas (1590) and conducted the Third Lima Council (1582–1583), standardizing liturgy and doctrine across the viceroyalty. The Lima Metropolitan Cathedral, consecrated 19 October 1625, houses the tomb of the saint.

The 17th century birthed Lima's first canonized saints: Rose of Lima (1586–1617), patroness of the Americas, who practiced heroic penance in her family garden; and Martin de Porres (1579–1639), the mulatto Dominican miracle-worker. Hagiographic tradition holds Rose received visions of the Virgin, who placed a ring on her finger as espousal.

Modern Faith Life

Independence from Spain (1821) preserved the archdiocese's primacy, confirmed by Pope Gregory XVI in 1834. The 20th century saw explosive growth; by 2021, the archdiocese served 3.58 million souls through 125 parishes. Today, amid secularism, Lima thrives with 500+ priests and robust youth movements. The annual Señor de los Milagros procession—1.5 million faithful in purple garb—commemorates a 1651 earthquake image's survival, underscoring divine protection.

Geography and demographics

Lima sprawls at across 2,672 square kilometers of coastal desert, moderated by Pacific fog (garúa). The Andean foothills to the east host retreats like Chosica's seminary.

The 2025 metropolitan population reaches 11,517,000, with approximately 80% identifying as Catholic per national surveys, though active practice varies (diocesan data: 90% baptized in core archdiocese). Spanish is official; Quechua and Aymara enrich indigenous liturgies.

The Archdiocese of Lima oversees 125 parishes and 20 missions, complemented by suffragans like Callao (total metro ~300 parishes). Sacramental hubs include the Lima Metropolitan Cathedral (colonial baroque, primatial see); Basilica of Santo Domingo (tombs of Saints Rose and Martin); Sanctuary of Saint Rose of Lima (her cell and garden); Sanctuary of Las Nazarenas (epicenter of Milagros devotion); and Basilica of San Francisco (UNESCO catacombs). Devotion to Santa Rosa (30 August) features floral carpets and novenas.

Government and culture

Lima's metropolitan government, led by a mayor, integrates Catholic ethos in public policy. Festivals animate the calendar: the Señor de los Milagros (18–28 October), a UNESCO intangible heritage; Fiesta de Santa Rosa (23–30 August) with processions and fireworks; and Corpus Christi street altars.

Baroque and neoclassical architecture defines the Historic Centre (UNESCO 1991): Guarino Guarini's influence graces the cathedral dome, while azulejo tiles adorn convent cloisters. The archdiocesan museum curates viceregal relics, including Turibius's processional cross.

Notable Catholic figures

• Saint Rose of Lima (1586–1617) – first American-born saint; mystic and patroness of Peru and the New World.
• Saint Martin de Porres (1579–1639) – Dominican lay brother; patron of racial harmony.
• Saint Turibius of Mogrovejo (1538–1606) – archbishop-reformer; founded Lima's seminary.
• Blessed Anna of the Angels (1602–1685) – Poor Clare abbess; visionary stigmatist.
• Blessed Mariano de Jesus Euse Hoyos (1782–1852) – Vincentian priest; apostle of charity.
• Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani Thorne (b. 1943) – retired archbishop; Opus Dei prelate.

Related

• Peru
• Lima Region
• Archdiocese of Lima
• Rose of Lima
• Martin de Porres