Compañia de Jesus Church and Convent

The Church and the convent "San Ignacio de Loyola" of the Society of Jesus, also known simply as "La Compañía", is a catholic complex located on the corner of Garcia Moreno and Sucre streets, in the historical center of Quito, capital of Ecuador, and cultural heritage of humanity. The facade of its main temple is carved in stone and is considered to be one of the most important expressions of the baroque architecture in America and the whole world.

 

The inner decoration of the church is covered by 7 tons of sheets of 23-carat gold leaf, making it an economic and artistic heritage of incalculable value. As a tourist attraction, it is one of the most important in Quito. The company was visited by two popes, Juan Pablo II in 1985 and Francisco in 2015. The construction of the church took 160 years from 1605.

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All works conceived by European artists, to the church, were put into practice by mestizos as Bernardo Legarda and by indigenous artists such as Manuel Chili "Caspicara", that they printed their personal stamp through representations of native flora and symbols of the ancient villages of the Audience. The styles used are the baroque, the Mudejar or Moorish, the Churrigueresque and the neoclassical. “La Compañía” is a chest of colonial religious art treasures. 

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Its exquisite art gallery houses works of the Quito School, exhibited on the walls of the church and the convent, including "The Four Evangelists", "The Cardinals of the Company of Jesus" and "The Sixteen Prophets". There are two sacred treasures in the temple: the remains of Saint Mary of Jesus, the first Ecuadorian Saint proclaimed in 1950 and the Picture of the Miracle of the Painful Virgin.