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Cathedral of Quito facts for kids

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Metropolitan Cathedral of Quito
Catedral Metropolitana de Quito
Metropolitan Cathedral of Quito.jpg
Religion
Affiliation Catholic Church
Province Province of Quito
Rite Roman Rite
Ecclesiastical or organizational status Metropolitan cathedral
Leadership Archbishop Fausto Trávez Trávez, O.F.M.
Year consecrated 1572
Location
Location Quito, Ecuador
Architecture
Architect(s) Antonio García (1807 arch)
Architectural type Christian basilical church
Architectural style Gothic-Mudéjar,
Baroque,
Neo-classical
Groundbreaking 1562
Completed 1565
Direction of façade Northwest
Website
Website
PortonCatedral
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 the Cathedral of Ecuador, making it the oldest Catholic church in the country.

Description

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.

Gallery

  • Historic Center of Quito - World Heritage Site by UNESCO - Photo 057

    The campanario (belltower) of the Cathedral.

  • Quito Cathedral main facade

    Northwest (main) view of the Cathedral of Quito.

  • Cathedral of Quito2

    Cathedral of Quito, viewed from the Grand Plaza.

  • Catedral de Quito, Quito, Ecuador, 2015-07-22, DD 99

    View of the main part of the altar.

  • Catedral de Quito, Quito, Ecuador, 2015-07-22, DD 75-77 HDR

    Major altar.

  • Museo de la Catedral de Quito, Quito, Ecuador, 2015-07-22, DD 94-96 HDR

    Archiepiscopal library

Images for kids

  • Museo de la Catedral de Quito, Quito, Ecuador, 2015-07-22, DD 91-93 HDR

    Chapter house located in today's museum

  • Plaza principal de Quito, anónimo - siglo XVIII (Museo de la Moneda, Bogotá)

    The Quito Metropolitan Cathedral in 1800, anonymous. Museum of the Bank of the Republic of Colombia

  • Interior de la Catedral de Quito (circa 1860)

    Interior of the Quito Cathedral in 1860 by Henry Walter Bates

  • Catedral metropolitana de Quito - panoramio - Quito magnífico

    Bell tower

  • Catedral de Quito, Quito, Ecuador, 2015-07-22, DD 79

    Roof, domes, lantern roofs and bell tower

  • Museo de la Catedral de Quito, Quito, Ecuador, 2015-07-22, DD 97

    Cathedral's museum

  • Catedral de Quito, Quito, Ecuador, 2015-07-22, DD 72-74 HDR

    17th-century Mudéjar artesonado of the main nave

  • ALTAR DE NUESTRA SEÑORA DE LOS DOLORES

    Altar of the Our Lady of Sorrows

  • Catedral de Quito - detalle del púlpito

    Pulpit

  • Centro Histórico, Quito Calle Venezuela, Quito pic b4

    A colonial carved door

  • Catedral Metropolitana, Quito (museum) pic ba7

    Colonial Quito School painting in the cathedral museum

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Catedral metropolitana de Quito para niños

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