Cusco Church Aqua Door Poster

A small door opens in the larger double doors of the Iglesia de la Compania de Jesus (Church of the Society of Jesus) in Cusco, Peru. The Society of Jesus (Latin: Societas Iesu, S.J., SJ or SI) is a male religious congregation of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits. Beginning construction of this church in 1571, the Jesuits decided to make it the most magnificent of Cusco's churches. The archbishop of Cusco argued that it should not be allowed to compete with the cathedral as the seat of the diocese. The parties appealed to Pope Paul III in Rome. By the time a ship took the message to the Pope in The Vatican in Europe, and his message had returned to South America, the Iglesia de la Compania de Jesus was almost finished. The Jesuits succeeded in keeping their ornate facade.