Santa Catalina de Siena Monastery – Oaxaca City
The Santa Catalina Monastery started out as the ‘Rosary of Maria Monastery’ in 1568 with a grand total of four nuns from Mexico City living in a borrowed house. Construction of the now Santa Catalina Monastery began in 1579 under the responsibility of Hernando Cavarcos who was the same man responsible for the construction of the nearby Santo Domingo church. It would appear that construction of the monastery wasn’t finished until the eighteenth century so the job definitely wasn’t rushed! The reform laws of 1862 as with all the churches in Oaxaca brought with them changes. Santa Catalina de Siena Monastery was no exception; the convent became a jail and the church and atrium were used as the council buildings. Later the church was used as cinema and a small part of the Monastery was used as a masonic lodge. In 1950 a large portion of the building was used as a school which is still in use, and in 1976 the ex-convent became a hotel which is still the case in present day Oaxaca.
Because a large portion of the building is a hotel and school you will be limited to what you can see unless you are a guest at the hotel, but if you ask nicely at the door they might let you have a look around.
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The Things to do in Oaxaca Team ☺
A map showing the location of Santa Catalina Monastery
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Photos of Santa Catalina de Siena Monastery
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