Cathedral of Quito
| Metropolitan Cathedral of Quito Catedral Metropolitana de Quito (Spanish) |
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| Basic information | |
| Location | Quito, Ecuador |
| Geographic coordinates | 0°13′13″S 78°30′51″W / 0.22028°S 78.51417°WCoordinates: 0°13′13″S 78°30′51″W / 0.22028°S 78.51417°W |
| Affiliation | Catholic Church |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Province | Province of Quito |
| Year consecrated | 1572 |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Metropolitan cathedral |
| Leadership | Archbishop Fausto Trávez Trávez, O.F.M. |
| Website | Website |
| Architectural description | |
| Architect(s) | Antonio García (1807 arch) |
| Architectural type | Christian basilical church |
| Architectural style |
Gothic-Mudéjar, Baroque, Neo-classical |
| Groundbreaking | 1562 |
| Completed | 1567 |
| Direction of façade | Northwest |
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 southwestern side of the Plaza de la Independencia (La Plaza Grande), it (and its predecessor building) served as a seat of the Diocese of Quito from 1545 until 1848 when it was elevated to Archdiocese. In 1995, it was elevated to the Cathedral of Ecuador, making it the seniormost Catholic church in the country.
The Cathedral is a striking white-painted monumental church with a single high belltower offset to the right of the main entrance. Built on a plan comprising three longitudinal naves surmounted by semi-ogival arches on square pillars, the basic spatial structure of the Cathedral is typical of the 16th century. Based upon interior features — especially the details of the pillars, arches, and the carved and coffered ceiling — some experts assert that the Cathedral should be characterized as Gothic-Mudéjar in style. It certainly has Gothic features in the pointed arches of its naves, as well as in the ambulatory that surrounds the presbytery.
In a deviation from Spanish convention, the Cathedral actually has two main entrances: one at mid-nave that faces the Plaza and the other, with the belltower, at the northwest facade facing Calle Garcia Moreno. The axis has a southeast-northwest orientation due to the local topography: 16th century ravines prevented the main facade from facing the plaza, as is customary. The elaborate arched side-entrance and its semi-circular staircase facing the Plaza were an early 19th century addition. Known as the Carondelet Arch, this portal is the main interface between Cathedral and square. The relationship is also underlined by a longitudinal stone parapet running the length of the building on that side (and decorated with spheres, pyramids, etc.) which preserves the difference in level between the Cathedral floor and that of the Plaza. Three attractive domes dressed in glazed green ceramic rise atop the transept, the high altar, and the Carondelet Arch. The transept dome is itself surmounted by an iron rooster weather vane, subject of several local legends. (These neo-classical domes, along with the neo-classical balastrade sculptures, various arches, Ionic pilasters, and the semi-circular Plaza staircase are modernizing 19th century additions.)
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