Basilicas in Ecuador

Basilica of Our Lady of Mercy, Quito, Pichincha

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Benedict XV in 1920—the first in Ecuador.

The Basilica was built between 1701 and 1736 and is the first church and headquarters for the Mercedarian Order in Ecuador. The church has five domes and a square tower.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica and National Shrine of Our Lady of the Presentation, El Quinche, Pichincha

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John XXIII in 1959.

In 1586, the indigenous people of the region asked Diego de Robles, a Quito-trained artist, to make a statue of Our Blessed Mother. He made the statue out of cedar and other woods. Soon after he made the statue, seemingly miraculous events started taking place in association with Our Lady of El Quinche and a church was built. The current Basilica was built between 1905 and 1928.

The first picture is from Flickr, the second from a local source, and the last two are from Wikipedia.

Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of the Elevation, Ambato, Tungurahua

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John XXIII in 1961.

The Basilica is the Cathedral for the Diocese of Ambato. It was built in 1954 to replace a church destroyed by an earthquake.

Pictures are from a local source, Vymaps, and Wikipedia.

Basilica of Our Lady of Mercy, Guayaquil, Guayas

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John XXIII in 1962.

The Order of Mercy was one of the first religious orders to come to Guayaquil and they built a church at this location in 1787. The current Gothic Basilica was built in the 1890s.

The first picture is from Flickr, the second from Pinterest, and the last two are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of Our Lady of Mercy, Ibarra, Imbabura

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Paul VI in 1964.

The church was built as part of a Mercedarian monastery. Construction began in 1868 shortly after the city had been destroyed by an earthquake and continued until 1945. The façade is Gothic and Romanesque and the interior has Baroque elements. There are 16 chapels.

The first two pictures are from Flickr and the last is from Wikipedia.

Basilica of St. Francis, Quito, Pichincha

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Paul VI in 1965.

The Basilica and attached buildings were built between 1535 and 1650. The entire complex includes 13 cloisters and covers 10 acres of building space alone. It is the oldest and most significant religious site in Ecuador and is managed by the Franciscans. The complex was built using a combination of styles including Mannerist, Renaissance, Baroque, and Mudejar. There are more than 3,500 works of art in the complex, many completed by the Colonial Quito School of Art, which was founded at the complex.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Gualaceo, Azuay

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Paul VI in 1966.

Basilica and National Shrine of Our Lady of El Cisne, El Cisne, Loja

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1980.

Our Lady was said to have appeared to a shepherdess in 1594. An image was soon made, and pilgrims began coming—today about five million a year. The current Gothic church was built between 1930 and 1934 but has been enlarged four times since.

The first picture is from a local source and the second is from Wikipedia.

Cathedral Basilica of St. Hyacinth, Yaguachi, Guayas

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1980.

A church has been on this site since 1579, but the current church was built in 1956. The Basilica became a cathedral in 2009 with the creation of the Diocese of San Jacinto de Yaguachi.

The first picture is from a local source and the second is from Wikipedia.

Basilica of the Holy Virgin of Montserrat, Montecristi, Manabi

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1988.

The Baroque and Gothic Basilica was built between 1959 and 1962. The image of the Virgin of Montserrat was given by the 16th Century King of Spain, Charles V, to the city of Lima, Peru. Somehow it made its way to Ecuador.

Both pictures are from local sources.

Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Patron of Ecuador, Quito, Pichincha

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1991.

The Basilica, also known as the Basilica of the National Vow, is the largest neo-Gothic basilica in the Americas. It was constructed between 1892 and 1909 as a reminder that Ecuador is consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.