Home > Destinations > Central and South America > South America > Ecuador > Quito > Attractions > La Compañía de Jesús
Bookstore Travel Talk - Our Message Boards Tips and Tools Book a Trip Deals and News Trip Ideas, Activities, Lifestyles Hotels Destinations Frommers.com Home
Frommer's - The best trips start here. Frommer's - The best trips start here.
Sign up for our FREE Newsletters! Win a FREE Trip
  Email This Article Email Print This Article Print Get Frommer's RSS Feed RSS

La Compañía de Jesús Frommer's Exceptional

Hours Mon-Fri 10am-1pm and 2-5pm; Sat 10am-1pm
Location On García Moreno near Sucre, In the Old Town
Prices Admission $2 (£1.10)

Frommer's Review

This Jesuit church is one of the great baroque masterpieces in South America. All the work took 160 years to complete (1605-1765). The facade won't fail to impress you -- the carvings are unbelievably detailed. Notice the Solomonic columns, which are symbolic of the Catholic doctrine that life's journey starts at the bottom (on earth), but by following the holy path, it ends at heaven.

Almost every inch of the interior has intricate decorations. When you enter La Compañía, look for the symbols of the sun in both the main door to the church and the ceiling. The sun was a very important Inca symbol, and the Spanish thought that if they decorated the entryway with indigenous symbols, it might encourage local people to join the church. The walls and ceilings of La Compañía are typical of Moorish design -- you will only see geometric shapes but no human forms. The building has been under renovation for the past several years, and some of the gold leaf on the ceiling and walls has been restored to its original luster. Natural sunlight and candlelight really bring out an angelic brilliance.

Concerts are sometimes held inside this church, and the acoustics and setting are haunting. If you happen to be in Quito on November 1 (Day of the Dead), you can also visit the catacombs here.

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.


Back to Top


  Email This Article Email Print This Article Print Get Frommer's RSS Feed RSS


Frommer's Ecuador, 1st Edition Frommer's Ecuador, 1st Edition

Author: Eliot Greenspan
Pub Date: August 06, 2007
Price: $22.99

Buy Now!
Related Titles:
Frommer's Argentina, 1st Edition
Frommer's Brazil, 4th Edition
Frommer's Buenos Aires, 2nd Edition
Add Frommers.com RSS Feed  Add Frommers.com RSS Feed (What's This?)
Add Frommers.com Deals & News to Your Web Site
Add to My Yahoo!     Add to My MSN     More RSS Readers
Add Frommers.com Podcast Add Frommers.com Podcast (What's This?)
Home > Destinations > Central and South America > South America > Ecuador > Quito > Attractions > La Compañía de Jesús