La visit of Quito during our first trip to Ecuador, had a clear objective that stood out above all other expectations: to see the interior of the famous church of the Society of Jesus.
And I'll tell you that remembering the visit while I was preparing the images to publish this article, I couldn't stop being amazed.
The great heritage importance of Quito's Historic center, the largest and best preserved from the colonial era in America, earned him a place on the prestigious list of World Heritage awarded by the Unesco, back in 1978, next to the city of Krakow in Poland.
And within this heritage, the most prominent place is occupied by the churches.
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Church of the Company of Quito, Jewel of America
After touring the interior of the church of the Company, it is easy to understand why it is the most visited church by tourists in Quito.
Can you imagine the interior of a large church all covered in gold? walls, ceilings, columns, chapels…It is incredible.
La Church of the company is Baroque masterpiece in Latin America, and is known as the Jewel of America.
In Europe I only remember seeing so much decorative wealth in the St. John's Co-Cathedral in Valletta, riding a Malta.
Curiosities history of the church of the Company in Quito
Construction began in 1605, it took 160 years to complete the works of the Church of the company.
You will recognize it by its unmistakably baroque façade, which follows the style of the jesuit churches, whose main example is the Church of the Gesu in Rome, although with a much more ornate decoration.
The intention of the Jesuits when they arrived in Quito in 1586 went beyond the construction of a church.
For this reason, in 1622, in a building attached to the church, they built a university building, which is currently the headquarters of the Metropolitan Cultural Center.
La Church of the company It is the best example of style Quito baroque, although given its long construction period, it also mixes other styles such as Renaissance, Mudejar, Neoclassical or Churrigueresque.
What to see when visiting the Compañía de Quito church
Since it is totally prohibited to take photos inside this church, thanks to the collaboration of Quito Tourism We had the exceptional opportunity to visit it before its morning opening, at 9,30:XNUMX am.
When you enter the church, which in our case was also completely empty of visitors, you will not be surprised by its dimensions.
Let me explain, it is a large church, whose central nave vault is 26 meters high; What will amaze you is seeing it completely covered in gold!!
Gold in the church of the Company of Quito
Well, in fact, it is a gold leaf cover, with fine 23 carat sheets in every centimeter of the church.
It is estimated that in total must keep up to a ton of gold.
This was the way that the Jesuits tried to attract the indigenous people to go to church, and in this way assume the Catholic religion.
The gold was contributed by the indigenous families who thus “they bought” places so that their children could go to the new jesuit university which was later built.
The church has the characteristic Latin cross configuration, with a transept, central nave and two side naves with a succession of chapels.
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In the architecture of the church of the Company Symmetry prevails.
El main altarpiece It is the work of the famous Quito artist Bernardo de Legarda, also author of the sculpture of the Virgin of Quito, icon of the city, and from which the Winged Virgin and silver Panecillo hill.
In it, images of the holy founders of the religious communities that came to Quito.
In one of the chapels of the transept it is also dedicated to St. Ignatius of Loyola, the holy founder of the Jesus company.
For its part, The remains of Mariana de Jesus, the first Ecuadorian saint.
In the other chapel of the transept, if you look closely, you will be struck by the important difference in the brightness of the gold in the part of the balcony compared to that of the altarpiece.
That area suffered a fire not many years ago, so it had to be restored.
Also worth highlighting are the numerous artistic works that are distributed throughout the church.
The main ones, the great canvases of The final judgement y Hell made by Hernando de la Cruz in 1620.
And it is also worth highlighting the 16 paintings of the prophets made by Nicolás Javier Goríbar in the 18th century, which are distributed along the large columns of the church.
In short, a spectacular visit that just for doing it It is worth traveling to Quito.
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Schedule to visit La Compañía Church in Quito
El Visiting hours of the La Compañía church in Quito It is, Monday to Thursday, from 9,30:18,30 a.m. to XNUMX:XNUMX p.m.
On Fridays the church closes for visitors at 17,30:XNUMX p.m.
On Saturdays and holidays, the hours are from 9,30:16 a.m. to 12,30 p.m., and on Sundays, from 16:XNUMX p.m. to XNUMX p.m.
Church of the Company of Quito entrance prices
El price of admission general is 4 dollars, and the first Sunday of every month admission is free.
Photos Church of the Company of Quito
Although it is impossible to reflect with photos the majestic splendor of the church of the Company, I invite you to imagine it by looking at these other photos.
This is the most beautiful church in Quito, although this beautiful city has many convents to delight the eye with: San Francisco, San Agustín, Santo Domingo, La Basílica del Voto Nacional, among others. But The Society of Jesus really fascinates me. Visit it!