Be Dazzled! Don’t Miss Quito’s Shimmering Golden Cathedral

I’ve visited many beautiful cathedrals but this one one stands apart from the rest for its incredible beauty and mind-boggling excesses!

Competition Between Orders

During the 16th century, religious orders were busy building churches in Quito. Franciscans, Dominicans, Augustinians and finally, Jesuits. Last in, the Jesuits were determined to build the MOST impressive church in the city.

One hundred sixty years later, with a combination of four different architectural styles, a central nave decorated almost completely with gold leaf, gilded plaster, and wooden carvings, a vaulted ceiling with two gold domes later, they were finished.

La Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús in Quito, Ecuador. Bathed in 23-carat gold leaf.

Prepare to be Dazzled

Consider that close to seven tons of gold are plastered over the walls and ceilings of this 17th century Jesuit church. It is considered one of the most significant works of Spanish Baroque architecture in South America.

It is stunning, not only in the relentless shimmer of gold overlay in its interior but also for the intricacy of cedar wooden carvings, decorative clay moldings and significant works of art of the period.

The Lily of Quito

Almost finished. But not quite. They had to have their own saint. And a reliquary. The 17th century remains of Saint Mariana de Jesús, Ecuador’s first, canonized in 1950, are now buried there.

During the 1645 earthquakes and subsequent epidemics in Quito, she publicly offered herself as a victim for the city and died shortly thereafter. It is also reported that, on the day she died, her sanctity was revealed in a wonderful manner: Immediately after her death, a pure white lily sprang up from her blood, blossomed and bloomed, a prodigy which has given her the title of “The Lily of Quito”. The Republic of Ecuador has declared her a national heroine.

wikipedia

La Compañía Church is a true colonial art gallery with over one hundred oil paintings displayed on pillars, on walls between pillars, altarpieces, on the walls of the presbytery exhibits, on the walls of the church (not counting the monastery) they number twenty-one small, fifteen medium, seventy-four large and two enormous oil paintings. All museum-worthy. In fact, art lovers should plan to spend a couple of hours touring the interior of this beautiful place.

Know Before You Go

The Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús is located along García Moreno and Sucre in the historic center of Quito, one block to the southwest of Plaza Grande. Visiting hours for tourists are from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. The entrance fee for foreign tourists is $5. Entrance is free on the first Sunday of every month. Photos courtesy of free online sources as visitors are not allowed to take interior photos.