Archbishop's Palace of Lima, Religious palace at Plaza Mayor, Lima, Peru

The Archbishop's Palace is a building featuring Spanish colonial-style architecture situated at Plaza Mayor with stone walls, cedar wood balconies, and a neoplateresque entrance. Its structure displays the classic details of this architectural style with carefully designed facades that frame the main square.

Francisco Pizarro set aside this land for the city's bishop after founding Lima in 1535; the Cabildo met here until 1548. The old palace, with six balconies of different styles, was demolished from the late 19th century. The present building, designed by Ricardo de Jaxa Malachowski with the Torre Tagle Palace as reference, opened on 8 December 1924 under Archbishop Emilio Lissón.

The palace now houses the Museo de los Museos Arzobispales de Lima, so the archbishop's residence and diocesan offices share the building with exhibition rooms. The name recalls the archdiocese's role since Pizarro set aside this block for the bishop's house in 1535. Look for the granite Saint Turibius above the facade, patron of the archdiocese.

The building stands at a central square and is easy to locate since two flags mark its entrance. Keep in mind that this is a functioning administrative center, so certain areas may not be freely accessible to visitors.

The palace opened as a museum and forms part of the Museos Arzobispales de Lima. Its interior holds an Empire-style marble staircase with wooden handrails leading to a second-floor chapel with a baroque altar, lit by French stained-glass windows.