To the construction and adornment of the Cathedral of Lima, Archbishops Loayza, Santo Toribio de Mogrovejo, and Bartolomé Lobo Guerrero devoted their talents and their fortune with pious zeal; Archbishop Loayza made the church a gift of rich ornaments in silver, and a _custodia_, or tabernacle, of gold and silver, valued at several thousand dollars. The cost of construction of this magnificent edifice was estimated at half a million dollars gold, and the interior was a repository of such enormous riches that their reputed value passes credibility. The balustrades surrounding the altar,—which was itself a marvel of exquisite wood-carving,—as well as the pipes of the organ, were of silver, and the candlesticks, also of silver, were of remarkable size and weight. The wood-carving of the chancel was not excelled even by that of the famous Cathedral of Seville. The terrible earthquake of 1746 converted the great structure into a mountain of ruins, though the present edifice, which is built on the same site, is an imposing monument of architecture still, after the lapse of more than a century and a half, and notwithstanding the destructive effects of time and the elements. It overlooks the principal plaza of the city, occupying the eastern side of the square. The Cathedral has five naves, each with nine arches, or vaults, and along the sides are ten chapels, in one of which repose the remains of Pizarro. The main altar occupies the centre of the principal nave, and although not now so rich in gold and silver ornaments as formerly, it still represents a fortune, being of silver, as are also the magnificent candlesticks that adorn it. The wonderfully carved pulpit and chancel, of mahogany and cedar, have survived the numerous catastrophes through which the venerable edifice has passed, and show only the wear caused through their use by generations of worshippers.