La Compañía de Jesús: the church that took the Jesuits 160 years to gild from floor to ceiling
Nel centro storico di Quito, in Ecuador, la costruzione della chiesa della Compagnia di Gesù iniziò nel 1605, quando padre Nicolás Durán Mastrilli ricevette da Roma i disegni ispirati alla Chiesa del Gesù, e si concluse solo il 24 luglio 1765: centosessant’anni di lavori, un tempo eccezionalmente lungo anche per gli standard dell’epoca coloniale. Diversi religiosi si succedettero alla direzione del cantiere, tra cui il gesuita italiano Marcos Guerra, che a partire dal 1636 introdusse le cupole e le volte a botte di ispirazione rinascimentale. La facciata, scolpita in pietra vulcanica grigia, fu iniziata nel 1722 dal gesuita tedesco Leonardo Deubler e completata, dopo un’interruzione, tra il 1760 e il 1765 dal fratello italiano Venancio Gandolfi: è considerata una delle facciate barocche più belle del Sudamerica. All’interno, quasi ogni superficie è ricoperta di foglia d’oro a 23-24 carati, in uno stile che fonde il barocco con influssi moreschi e con la Scuola Quitense, la corrente artistica coloniale andina che univa sensibilità europee e indigene: le stime sulla quantità d’oro usata variano moltissimo tra le fonti, da circa 50 chilogrammi fino a oltre una tonnellata. Dal 1978 la chiesa fa parte del Patrimonio Mondiale UNESCO della città di Quito, la prima città al mondo ad essere iscritta nella lista.
About La Compañía de Jesús
The Church of the Society of Jesus, known simply as La Compañía, stands in the historic centre of Quito, Ecuador, its construction begun in 1605 when the Jesuit priest Nicolás Durán Mastrilli received plans from Rome inspired by the Church of the Gesù, and not completed until 24 July 1765 — a construction period of 160 years, extraordinarily long even by the standards of colonial-era church building. Successive Jesuit architects and priests directed the work over this long span, notably the Italian priest Marcos Guerra, who from 1636 introduced Renaissance-derived domes and barrel vaulting to the design. The church’s carved grey volcanic stone facade, begun in 1722 by the German Jesuit priest Leonardo Deubler and completed, after a period of interruption, between 1760 and 1765 by the Italian brother Venancio Gandolfi, is widely regarded as one of the finest examples of Baroque architecture anywhere in South America. Inside, nearly every surface is covered in 23- to 24-karat gold leaf, in a style blending dominant Baroque forms with Mudéjar geometric patterning and the broader Escuela Quiteña, the colonial-era Andean-Christian artistic tradition that fused European Baroque sensibility with Indigenous and mestizo craftsmanship; estimates of the total gold used vary enormously across sources, from roughly 50 kilograms to figures exceeding a tonne, reflecting genuine uncertainty rather than a single settled figure. Since 1978, La Compañía has formed part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site covering the City of Quito, the first city in the world ever inscribed on the World Heritage List, within which the church is specifically cited as a defining monument.
Key facts
- 1605-1765: construction period, roughly 160 years
- 1722-1765: the carved volcanic stone facade, begun by Leonardo Deubler and completed by Venancio Gandolfi
- Interior: nearly entirely covered in gold leaf, quantity estimates ranging widely across sources
- Style: Baroque with Mudéjar and Escuela Quiteña influences
- 1978: the church becomes part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site “City of Quito,” the first city ever inscribed
- Status: major landmark and tourist attraction in Quito’s historic centre
History
La Compañía’s 160-year construction, spanning the work of successive Jesuit architects and priests from across Europe, embodies the sustained institutional ambition of the Jesuit order in colonial Quito, resulting in a building whose interior decoration remains among the most lavish anywhere in Spanish colonial America. Its inclusion within the 1978 UNESCO inscription of Quito’s historic centre, the first city ever added to the World Heritage List, recognises the church’s central place within one of the best-preserved colonial urban ensembles in the Americas.
What you see
The church’s carved grey volcanic stone facade presents a dense programme of Baroque sculptural ornament, among the finest of its kind in South America, opening onto an interior where gilded surfaces, Mudéjar-patterned columns, and Escuela Quiteña sculpture and painting combine in one of the most visually overwhelming church interiors in the Americas. Renaissance-derived domes and barrel vaulting, introduced by the Italian priest Marcos Guerra in the 17th century, shape the nave’s ceiling above the gilded altarpieces below.
Practical information
- Opening hours: generally open daily with seasonal variation; admission fee applies; check current hours before visiting
- Address: García Moreno, Historic Centre, Quito, Ecuador
Getting there
La Compañía de Jesús stands in Quito’s historic centre, easily reached on foot from the Plaza de la Independencia. GPS: 0.2208° S, 78.5139° W.
Nearby
- Plaza de la Independencia — Quito’s main square, a short walk away
- San Francisco Church and Monastery — another major colonial-era religious complex, nearby
- Quito Cathedral — the city’s principal cathedral, near the Plaza de la Independencia
Sources
- Wikipedia — “Church of La Compañía, Quito” (en.wikipedia.org)
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre — “City of Quito” (whc.unesco.org)
- El Comercio (Ecuador) — “Iglesia La Compañía,” Patrimonio Histórico (patrimonio.elcomercio.com)
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