Cathedral of Quito

Coordinates: 0°13′13″S 78°30′51″W / 0.22028°S 78.51417°W / -0.22028; -78.51417
From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Metropolitan Cathedral of Quito
Catedral Metropolitana de Quito (in Spanish)
Religion
AffiliationCatholic Church
ProvinceProvince of Quito
RiteRoman Rite
Ecclesiastical or organizational statusMetropolitan cathedral
LeadershipArchbishop Fausto Trávez Trávez, O.F.M.
Year consecrated1572
Location
LocationQuito, Ecuador
Geographic coordinates0°13′13″S 78°30′51″W / 0.22028°S 78.51417°W / -0.22028; -78.51417
Architecture
Architect(s)Antonio García (1807 arch)
Architectural typeChristian basilical church
Architectural styleGothic-Mudéjar,
Baroque,
Neo-classical
Groundbreaking1562[1]
Completed1565
Direction of façadeNorthwest
Website
Website
The northeast elevation of the Cathedral, on the Plaza, is dominated by the "Arch of Carondelet" entrance and its staircase.

The Metropolitan Cathedral of Quito (Spanish: Catedral Metropolitana de Quito), known simply as la Catedral, is the Catholic cathedral in Quito, Ecuador. Located on the southwest side of the Plaza de la Independencia (La Plaza Grande), it (and its older building) served as a seat of the Diocese of Quito from 1545 until 1848 when it became the Archdiocese. In 1995, it became the Cathedral of Ecuador, the most powerful Catholic church in the country.[2]

Description[change | change source]

The Cathedral is a white-painted monumental church with one high belltower to the right of the main entrance. It was built on a plan that has three longitudinal naves with semi-ogival arches on square pillars. The Cathedral is built like the kind of the 16th century. Based on interior features — like the details of the pillars, arches, and the carved and coffered ceiling — some experts say that the Cathedral should be thought of as Gothic-Mudéjar in style. It has Gothic features in the pointed arches of its naves, as well as in the ambulatory that goes around the presbytery.[3]

Gallery[change | change source]

References[change | change source]

  1. "Sitio Oficial Turístico de Quito – Catedral Metropolitana". website. Corporacion Metropolitana de Turismo. 2008. Archived from the original on 2011-07-19. Retrieved 2008-09-11.
  2. Arquidiócesis de Quito y Primada del Ecuador (25 Jan 2013), La Arquidiócesis de Quito en la historia (1545–2009) Archived 2012-01-20 at the Wayback Machine [In Spanish].
  3. Architectural Guide of Quito – Evelia Peralta & Rolando Moya tasquer – Trama Ediciones – 2007.

Other websites[change | change source]

Media related to Catedral Metropolitana (Quito) at Wikimedia Commons