Our Mission to Bolivia

Hello, All --

Getting a late start on this today, but hopefully I can still post something worth viewing. I thought I'd share some more pictures from our final trip to Sucre in late August.

One of the places we loved was the Convent of the Recoleta which as you can see dates back to 1600! Only when I'm here in South America do I realize how "young" our United States society really is.

This is the convent from the outside.

This is the inside of the chapel or worship area.

Actually, up close you can see the wear and tear,

but from this view it is beautiful.

I thought a "convent" was by definition run by and populated by nuns,

but in fact, this one is run by an order of monks (Franciscan, I think.)

This group were walking across the parking lot to the door (in the center)

of the area where they live.

In back of the convent stands this tree - the oldest tree in the city of Sucre.
It dates back to 1600 too! Our Sucre group from L/R: Don and Karen Runquist, Glen Westover, Helen Beckman (Lynda Westover's 91-year-old aunt), Lynda herself, Harriet (whose last name I can't remember - she is the friend who traveled with Helen), then Farron and me.

This is the entry to the living quarters and courtyards, etc.

We were able to take a little tour.

This is one of three patios.

The guide told us there are only 27 monks who live there now.

This place is BIG and even includes some vegetable gardens in back.

I don't know how 27 men - especially if any are elderly - could maintain the place.

This is part of the old choir area above the chapel.

The figures represent the first known Christian martyrs in Japan, of all place.

I think the martyrdom occurred in the 18th century, but I'm not sure.

These are the stairs leading up to the "cells" in which the monks sleep.
VERY austere and bare, believe me.

This private Catholic elementary school takes up one side of the square.

The convent and church are out of sight at your left.

This must be one of the steepest streets in Sucre.

We walked down it to get back to our hotel.

We hoped by putting Farron and the Westovers in the picture,

you would be able to get some perspective on how steep the descent is.

We also visited the "second oldest" church in Sucre.

I am sorry that I don't have better notes to tell you the name of the church.

We were fascinated by the size of this 400-year-old door!

This was where the priest stood to address everyone before the days of sound systems.

It is halfway down the nave (if that's the right word),

more or less in the center of the chapel.

This is the central altar.

This is looking down the center of the church.

This is the original organ they used for years. (Notice the pedals.)

Now they use taped music, the guide told us. No one plays the organ anymore.

This is a confession box - still in use, I think (?)

The guide was kind enough to open a locked gate inside the chapel and let us take a picture of the baptismal font. I do not know what the post with the numbers on it signifies, sorry.

On another day, we visited the Ecclesiastical Museum of Sucre.

Sucre is the "religious capital" of Bolivia. In this museum they have all the ecclesiastical vestments and items that the Archbishop used and uses for various ceremonies and masses. I can't remember all the names - things like chalice, cruet, ciborium, paten, and thurible. In this museum all of these items are made of gold or silver (predominantly silver) and many have precious and semi-precious jewels in/on them, sometimes to an astonishing level of decorate. Most unfortunately, NONE of those items could be photographed! In fact, the part of the museum in which they are kept is under armed guard and they watch you like a hawk while you're in there.

We were able to take pictures of the cathedral from part of which the museum was made. It is one of the oldest in the city and also, we thought, one of the best-maintained and most beautiful. Especially we appreciated how "light" it seemed to be, since many cathedrals are very dark.

This is taken looking down the length of the cathedral.

A close-up of the beautiful ceiling.

One of the side altars.

This is the choir area,

and it is behind the central altar.

This is a shot of the left side of the choir area as you face the choir, with your back to the altar. Notice the brown thing in the lower right corner.

This is a music stand, believe it or not! It rotates, too.

I'm not sure if the choral director would turn the stand rather than turning pages, or what.

The guide showed us how easy it is to turn. I've never seen anything like this before, have you?

VERY interesting.

Lastly, the night before we left Sucre there was a parade of school children in the streets near our hotel. They were honoring the founder of their school. A police band preceded them and provided ear-splitting marching music.