Our Lady of la Almudena Church, Colonial church in Santiago District, Cusco, Peru

Our Lady of the Almudena Church is a colonial religious building in Santiago built from stone and limestone with a simple, single-nave design. The altar holds a statue of the Virgin of Almudena that serves as the focal point of the interior.

The church was completed in 1698 under the patronage of Bishop Manuel de Mollinedo y Angulo, who commissioned Juan Tomás Tuyro Túpac to carve a replica of the Virgin of Almudena of Madrid. That same year the bishop donated the church to the Bethlehemite Order, which founded the Hospital de Belén in its cloister, one of Cusco's four colonial hospitals. The 1950 earthquake toppled the upper bell tower and cracked the transverse arches; repairs took a year and by 1951 only the tower's top remained to be fixed.

The image of the Virgin of Almudena venerated here is a replica of the one in Madrid, carved by the Cusco artist Juan Tomás Tuyro Túpac at the request of Bishop Manuel de Mollinedo y Angulo. The square and church take their name from this devotion, and the former hospital cemetery became the General Cemetery of La Almudena in 1845, making the temple the city's main setting for funeral rites.

The church sits in Plazoleta de Almudena square near the General Cemetery and welcomes both worshippers and visitors. It is best to check opening times beforehand since schedules can shift depending on religious services and local events.

The church was donated to the Order of the Bethlehemite Brothers, who set up the Hospital de Belén in its cloister, one of Cusco's four colonial hospitals. The square outside was called La Chimba until the temple and hospital gave it the name Almudena; it had served as a resting place for muleteers.