Iglesia San Francisco - Quito, Ecuador
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member Trail Blaisers
S 00° 13.230 W 078° 30.920
17M E 776566 N 9975605
Quito is a deeply religious town. It holds some of the most spectacular temples in the Americas, San Francisco being one of them. Groundbreaking for Iglesia San Francisco was in 1534 and it was completed 70 years later in 1604.
Waymark Code: WMM0D3
Location: Ecuador
Date Posted: 06/26/2014
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member silverquill
Views: 5

Quito is a deeply religious town. It holds some of the most spectacular temples in the Americas, San Francisco being one of them. Groundbreaking for Iglesia San Francisco was in 1534 and it was completed 70 years later in 1604.

San Francisco’s main square is an enormous esplanade covered in cobblestones, where settlers taught locals how to grow European crops, including wheat and lemon.

Quiteños prefer this church to all others, and part of the experience of visiting it, is seeing just how faithful the locals can be. Notice the flower bouquets, graffiti and photographs people leave at the first chapel to the left when walking in.

The church, with its characteristic double-tower façade, is a beautiful mélange of architectural and artistic styles, materials and colors. There are stone walls, and a dark-wood choir; gold-leaf ornamental carvings, Moorish patterns, a Baroque green-and-gold ceiling, long mirrors and a spectacular altar.

San Francisco houses over 3,500 works of colonial art, of varied artistic styles and techniques, most notably those of the famous Quito School of Art, which had it genesis here. The most celebrated of these is the 18th century sculpture known as the Virgin of Quito, which has long been a kind of icon of the city. Here also is a magnificent Franciscan library, described in the 17th century as the best of the Viceroyalty of Peru.
Date the Church was built, dedicated or cornerstone laid: 01/01/1604

Age of Church building determined by?: Other reliable source

If denomination of Church is not part of the name, please provide it here: Roman Catholic

If Church holds a weekly worship service and "all are welcome", please give the day of the week: Sunday

If Church is open to the public, please indicate hours: Not listed

Indicate the time that the primary worship service is held. List only one: Not Listed

Street address of Church: Not listed

Primary website for Church or Historic Church Building: Not listed

Secondary Website for Church or Historic Church Building: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
1) A photo of the church is required for visits to a waymark.

2) Please share some comments about your visit.

3) Additional photos are encouraged. If you can have information in addition to that already provided about this church, please share it with us.

Search for...
Geocaching.com Google Map
Google Maps
MapQuest
Bing Maps
Nearest Waymarks
Nearest This Old Church
Nearest Geocaches
Create a scavenger hunt using this waymark as the center point
Recent Visits/Logs:
Date Logged Log User Rating  
the-stooss visited Iglesia San Francisco - Quito, Ecuador 12/27/2014 the-stooss visited it

View all visits/logs