The building, which houses the Museum of religious art, was built between 1537 and 1538, on the Foundation of the Palace of Inca ROCA, one block from the Plaza de Armas in Cuzco.

In the times of the Inca Empire (Quechua Tauantynsuyu is the largest Indian state in South America in the XI—XVI centuries) in this place was the Palace of Inca ROCA, where he lived the ruler of the Khatun Rumion and his family, and it was the headquarters of the Indian brotherhood of Panaca. Now you can see in the Central part of the stone walls of the Museum building polygonal block of the famous stone of twelve angles, which were used in the construction of their buildings, the Inca Indians.

This Royal Palace was once home to the first Bishop of Peru, fray Vicente de Valverde, his diocese stretched from Nicaragua to Tierra del Fuego and from the Pacific to the Atlantic. Then the building became the property of Pablo Bone and Gallinato, the Marquis of San Juan Buena Vista, whose remains rest in the crypt of the Church of Santo Domingo de Cusco. Later, the building became the property of the family of Contreras and kharaba, Marquis Rocafuerte, who were patrons of local artists. In 1948, Monsignor Felipe Santiago HERMOSA and Sarmiento, first Archbishop of Cuzco, bought the Palace at the expense of the diocese. In 1957, after the reconstruction, the building became the Palace of the Archbishop of Cuzco Monsignor Carlo Maria jürgens.

In 1966, the Archbishop of Cuzco Monsignor Ricardo Duran Flores is taking the first steps to transform the Palace into a Museum of religious art, which was opened in 1969 with the support of don josé Orihuela V.. "Fund Jose Orihuela V." was given to the Museum 169 paintings and a collection of ivory, the crucifixion, the furniture and images of high artistic value. Was also given the Golden altar in the Baroque style, which was installed in the chapel of the Archbishop's Palace.

The Museum's collection consists mainly of paintings of religious art of the Cuzco school. You can also appreciate the classic colonial architecture of the building, walk on its inner courtyard, surrounded by arcades and decorated with mosaic tiles brought from Seville. In the Museum you can see works of Juan Marcos Zapata and other painters of the colonial era, as well as paintings by local artist Diego Quispe Tito. It is worth taking the time to inspect the chapel, decorated in different styles, and halls of the Palace with an amazing carpet.