La Compañía de Jesús Church

La Compañía de Jesús is a dazzling church. It’s considered the most important religious colonial building left by the Spanish. Constructed by the Jesuits in 1605 (it is consecrated to Saint Ignatius de Loyola), La Compañía became internationally recognized when UNESCO included it among the 100 most important buildings in the world.

It belongs to the order of the Jesuits, who arrived in the country in 1568. Remarkably, they preached and taught in Quechua (the native Indian language). Due to this fact, they earned the admiration and respect of the indigenous people.

Planned and designed by Brother Marcos Guerra, the construction of this church began in 1605. The façade, carved under the direction of Father Leonardo Deubler, began in 1722. Venancio Gandolfi finished the work in 1765. It was made of andesite and basalt, with enclosed niches for statues of Saint Ignatius, Saint Francis Xavier, Saint Stanislaus of Kotska and Saint Luís Gonzaga. Above the lateral doorjambs are symbolic representations of Jesus’ and Mary’s hearts. The Salomonic columns which rise from its pediment are decorated by garlands of roses and lilies.

The façade is a symphony to the Baroque style and resembles the Gesú church in Rome. At the gate, a screen separates the secular part from the sacred area. It has a set of four columns with Corinthian capitals.

 

Once inside, a famous dramatic painting on the right represents The Final Judgment and Hell. The initial objective of these colonial paintings was to evangelize the indigenous people. For that reason, they are quite moving. The painting by Alejandro Salas is a copy of an original painting by Brother Hernando de la Cruz.

 

The arcade of the church was built with bricks made in the Jesuits’ factory, and plaster was used in order to lighten the structure. Above this central arcade, some passages of Samson’s life are displayed on the left, and Joshua being sold by his brothers is shown on the right. This church has a prolonged barrel vault adorned with angels and Moorish elements, crowned by two cupolas with skylights.

 

The management of the construction of the altarpiece was assigned to Tyrolese Jesuit Father Jorge Vinterer in 1735, and was gilded by Bernardo de Legarda in 1745. It represents four religious orders, but does not include the Augustinians. On the main altar lie the remains of Santa Mariana de Jesus, which have been there since 1950, when she was canonized.

 

Inside the church, the most important work of Nicolás Javier Goribar consisting of a series of 16 life-sized prophets of the Old Testament, matches the dimensions of the pillars. To elaborate these paintings, the artists had to study each one of the prophet’s characters, their individual moods, their historical acts (represented in the lower part of the canvas), and their importance (shown in the upper angle of the painting or on a ribbon containing the text of their prophecies). Their heads depict their characters and reveal their age.

 

At the beginning of 1767, a growing fear of the Jesuits’ political and religious power caused the Spaniards to expel them from the American colonies. All of their religious and educational missions were abandoned until 1851, when the religious order returned to Quito. They were expelled again from the country by General Urbina in 1852; nevertheless, they returned definitively in 1861.

 

This beautiful church has survived several earthquakes that affected its structure; the last one occurred in 1987. A few years later, a tragic fire consumed parts of the church. After twelve years of almost uninterrupted work and an investment of millions of dollars, the magnificent temple was restored to its former glory.

 

For panoramic views of the interior of the church, go here.