Church of the Society of JesusIglesia de la Compañía de Jesús

Church of the Society of Jesus, built by Jesuits from 1605 into the early 18th c., distills colonial Quito’s spiritual ambition and political confidence into high Baroque form. Its volcanic-stone façade of twisting columns opens to a nave almost entirely gilded, where layered altars, painted panels, and Mudéjar patterns merge European models with the carving traditions of the Quito School. Made to overwhelm the senses and teach doctrine, it endures as both civic emblem and living sanctuary.