- Lima restored six historic churches over four years at a cost of 45.1 million soles
- Santo Domingo alone cost 9.8 million soles and was completed in 2025
- The work is funded by the city and 3 per cent of sales tax from the historic centre
- Lima’s historic centre drew 1.8 million visitors in 2024
Lima has restored six historic churches over the past four years at a cost of 45.1 million soles (US$13.3 million), Religion Unplugged reported on June 30, 2026, in a report by Graciela Ibáñez.
The Church of Santo Domingo, which houses the remains of San Martín de Porres and Santa Rosa de Lima, cost 9.8 million soles ($2.9 million) and was completed in 2025. Other restored churches include Nuestra Señora de la Buena Muerte, founded in the early 18th century by the Camillian fathers, Santo Cristo de las Maravillas and Santiago Apóstol del Cercado, founded in the 16th century.
The work is managed by Prolima, the city’s restoration department, and funded by municipal resources and 3 per cent of sales tax collected in the historic centre. That revenue reached 160 million soles in 2024 and 170 million soles in 2025. “We don’t remodel the city center, we restore it…We need to reclaim what’s ours,” said Prolima general manager Luis Martín Bogdanovich. The historic centre drew 1.8 million visitors in 2024.
The restorations tie the care of church buildings to tourism and the value of the city centre.
Jamaica’s historic churches in Spanish Town, Kingston, Falmouth and elsewhere are part of the country’s heritage and tourism offer. Lima’s model, with a dedicated restoration office and a share of local tax revenue, shows one way to pay for the upkeep of old churches. Jamaican churches with heritage buildings could explore partnerships with heritage and tourism agencies to fund repairs.
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