| Cathedral of Quito (La Catedral) | |
|---|---|
| Basic information | |
| Location | Quito, Ecuador |
| Affiliation | Roman Catholic |
| Architectural description | |
| Direction of façade | West |
| Groundbreaking | 1562[1] |
| Completed | 1567 |
The Cathedral of Quito (Spanish: La Catedral de Quito, officially La Catedral) is the cathedral church in Quito, Ecuador. Located on the southern side of La Plaza Grande, it serves as the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Quito. It is considered to be one of the oldest cathedrals in South America[2].
Atypical of Spanish city design, the cathedral has two entrances: one is part of the nave facing La Plaza Grande and the other is at the west facade facing Garcia Moreno street with an east-west orientation. This is due to the geography of Quito when construction began. Ravines prevented the main facade from facing the plaza, as is customary in Spanish city design. Artwork by artist of the Quito School of Art adorn the interior. The main altar is designed in Baroque style, while the exterior is orthodox Spanish.
The Cathedral impresses because of its white walls, its dome made of glazed green ceramic, the arch of Carondelet and the foliated staircase that comes down to Plaza Grande, articulating the Cathedral and the square. Once inside one discovers the longitudinal ground floor three naves; the right nave opens out onto chapels crowned by domes with skylights.
The roofs of the naves are supported by pointed arches, which in turn are supported by pillars of square base. An extraordinary wooden coffered ceiling lies on a golden frieze and beautiful paintings hang among the arches.
The Cathedral, considered of Gothic-Mudejar style due to the characteristic of the pillars, arches and coffered ceiling, has Gothic features in the pointed arches of the naves, as well as in the ambulatory that surrounds the presbytery. (Architectural Guide of Quito - Evelia Peralta & Rolando Moya tasquer - Trama Ediciones - 2007)
The church has many historical points of interest. Plaques on the outside walls commemorate the launching point of Francisco de Orellana's expedition to the Amazon. The catacombs of the cathedral serve as a resting place to many important figures in Ecuador's history, such as independence leader Antonio José de Sucre, who is laid to rest at the Mausoleum Chapel. The small altar of Nuestra Señora de los Dolores (English: Our Lady of Sorrows) has a plaque showing where Gabriel García Moreno was shot in 1875.
Architectural Guide of Quito - Trama Ediciones 2007 - Quito - Ecuador