Iglesia de La Merced

Location:
Chile and Cuenca
Centro Histórico, Quito, Ecuador

Historical Building

V!VA User‘s Description

With its plain white exterior, handsome bell tower (the highest in Colonial Quito) and tiled domes, the church of La Merced is a good example of the Moorish influences in Spanish architecture in the late 18th century, and a pleasure to stumble upon while exploring the backstreets of Colonial Quito. The rather conservative-looking exterior, however, does little to prepare you for what is inside; a sea of pink and white plasterwork covering every surface provides the backdrop for surely some of the most imaginative and dramatic paintings in Quito, while bleeding, neon-lit, Jesuses occupy shiny gold side chapels around the edge. Not to everyone’s taste, but certainly worth a look if you’re passing by.

Open Hours from:7 a.m. - noon, 2 p.m. - 7 p.m.