Quito: Old Town and Churches

Quito is the highest constitutional capital in the world at 9,350 feet above sea level or the second highest capital after La Paz, Bolivia (the administrative capital).  It was the first city to be declared an UNESCO World Heritage site in 1978 and was once the political and ceremonial center for the Northern reaches of the Inca Empire. The majority of our time was spent in the historic center walking distance from the hotel La Casona de la Ronda that was once the Spanish home called “Las Corrales” built in 1738.  

The hotel offered afternoon tea and a chocolate tasting where we learned about Ecuadorean cocao and that the location of the farm impacts the taste.  For example, cocao grown in the northern region of Ecuador has a more nutty or bitter favor because coffee is produced in the region.  Whereas the chocolate produced in the southern area of El Oro has a smoother banana undertone. The Republic of Chocolate and Picari were the most popular (and delicious) brands. 

We visited numerous churches. Some had English speaking guides (if you asked).  Similarly, some allowed photos and others did not.  One of the most impressive churches in Quito was the Jesuit Church La Ingelsia de la Compañia de Jesus or the Golden Church built between 1605 and 1765.  The golden door is a tease to ornate design and gold-leaf interior where golden domes and baroque style dominate. Also worth mentioning are the Moorish influences, perfect symmetry (there is a trompe l’oeil staircase to balance the real staircase), and Ecuadorian plants and indigenous faces hidden along the pillars.  (No photos allowed inside).  

La Ingelsia y Convento del San Fransisco is the oldest church in Quito. Construction of the Roman Catholic complex began in 1534 and continued for 150 years.  There is still construction on the plaza where a new underground transit system is being developed.  There are more than 3,500 works of colonial art inside the church, convent, and museum.

La Ingelsia de la Merced was originally built in the 16th century but was destroyed by an earthquake in 1660 and then rebuilt in 1701.  This church was interesting because there are Inca stones in its foundation, the entrance has images of the sun and the moon, there are pagan images on its stone pillars, and the ceiling is pink and white.  

The Metropolitan Cathedral of Quito served as the seat of the Diocese of Quito from 1545 to 1848 and features the tomb of Jose Antonio Sucre and is where President Garcia Moreno bled to death in 1875. The cathedral’s exterior is neoclassical but the church’s interior incorporates three additional styles: Gothic Revival, Mudejar and Baroque. President Garcia Moreno  was stabbed in the town square where he crawled to the nearby Metropolitan Cathedral of Quito where he bled out and died. Not the worst thing that has happen to a president in Ecuador!

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The Basílica del Voto Nacional is the largest new-Gothic church in the Americas and was inspired by Bourges Cathedral in France. Construction began around 1890 and was essentially completed in 1907 but has been under perpetual  construction since because there is an urban myth that says the end of the world will follow soon after the final construction of the church. The height of the sanctuary is 98 feet and the spire is 377 feet.  We arrived just after it opened and hiked to the top of the spire.  Although we are usually not afraid of heights, this climb was a little scary.  At one point you climb up a ladder facing out to the city.  The views were spectacular! The climb down had its own challenges but the reward of seeing inside the cathedral was equally as beautiful. The stain glass windows and high ceilings were magical.  The gargoyles on the exterior are animals made famous by the Galapagos. 

Santo Domingo Church and Monastery was built by the Dominicans and has styles ranging fro Baroque to Moor.  Construction started 1580 and culminated in the early seventeenth century.  The church serves as a showcase for the Quito School of Art and houses a popular high school.  Santo Domingo is a working monastery and currently has only seven monks living onsite.