San Francisco Church and Convent, Quito
Vast Franciscan complex begun in 1536, with a museum of Quito School art in its cloisters.
Franciscan friars led by Jodoco Ricke, Pedro Gocial and Alonso de Baena laid the first stone of San Francisco in January 1536, only weeks after the Spanish founding of Quito. Building continued for nearly 150 years; the church as it stands was largely finished around 1680 and consecrated in the early eighteenth century. Covering some three hectares of church, cloisters, chapels, courtyards and gardens, it is among the largest colonial religious complexes in South America and a cornerstone of Quito's UNESCO-listed centre.
A broad stone atrium and a curved Mannerist staircase lead to a facade of dark volcanic stone. Inside, a Mudéjar coffered ceiling spans the nave above heavily gilded Baroque altarpieces, and the sanctuary holds Bernardo de Legarda's carved Virgin of Quito. The adjoining Museo Fray Pedro Gocial occupies part of the main cloister and shows painting, polychrome sculpture and furniture of the Quito School from the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries, with access to the choir and bell towers.
Highlights
- Mudéjar coffered ceiling over a gilded Baroque interior
- Bernardo de Legarda's carved Virgin of Quito
- Museo Fray Pedro Gocial of Quito School art in the cloister
- Three-hectare complex on the Plaza de San Francisco
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