Museo de Arte Religioso La Concepción
Colonial religious art in the Conceptionist convent of Riobamba, home of the jewelled Custodia.
The Conceptionist convent of Riobamba was founded in 1622, when a group of nuns arrived from Quito. The earthquake of 4 February 1797 destroyed the old city and its convent, and only a handful of the community survived; when Riobamba was rebuilt on its present site from 1799, a large convent house was among the first buildings raised. Part of that complex was opened as a museum in 1980, and a restoration completed in 1997 adapted two courtyards with stone fountains, brick floors and benches while keeping the original fabric.
Nine rooms hold painting, sculpture, metalwork and vestments gathered by the community over four centuries, most of it from the Quito School. Among the sculpture are carved archangels, nativity figures and crucifixes of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, including work attributed to José de Olmos, together with images of the Virgin dressed in embroidery made by local hands. The best-known object is the Custodia de Riobamba, a monstrance of gold and silver set with emeralds, pearls and diamonds.
Highlights
- The Custodia de Riobamba, a monstrance set with emeralds and pearls
- Nine rooms of Quito School painting and sculpture
- Cloistered courtyards with stone fountains, restored in 1997
- Convent community founded in 1622 and rebuilt after the 1797 earthquake
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