La Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús

La Compañía Church ~ La Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús in Quito

Capped by green-and-gold domes is the Jesuit church La Compañía de Jesús, it is Quito’s most ornate church and a standout among the baroque splendors of the Old Town. The churches unique features, including its Moorish elements, perfect symmetry right down to the trompe l’oeil staircase at the rear, symbolic elements of bright-red walls are a reminder of Christ’s blood, and its syncretism all the while having Ecuadorian plants and indigenous faces hidden along the pillars. It is of note to me that the organ, circa 1888, is made in the USA.

Its facade is a work of art made from volcanic rock and in its interior you will find cedar wood carved altars, pulpits, pillars, and arches all covered with 23 carat gold leaf.

The first group of Jesuit priests arrived in Quito on 19 July of 1586, in order to establish a church, a school and a monastery. Among this group were Juan de Hinojosa, Diego González Holguín,Baltasar de Piñas and Juan de Santiago. Most sites for the construction of churches had been granted by the city council to the Franciscans, the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy, the Augustinians and the Dominicans. However, in 1587 the council granted land to the Jesuit order at the northwest corner of Plaza Grande (Independence Square). When the Augustinians showed their displeasure with the decision, the Jesuits chose to settle in another lot located southwest of the Cathedral and Plaza.

Nicolás Duran Mastrilli, a Jesuit priest from the Province of Naples, Italy, was appointed rector of the Jesuit College of Quito in 1602. Upon his arrival from Rome, he brought with him plans for the new Church of the Society of Jesus to be constructed in Quito. The plans for the church have been attributed to Domenico Zampieri, who also served as architect for the Chiesa di Sant'Ignazio di Loyola in Rome.

Construction began in 1605, with Mastrilli laying the first stone. The next documented architect was Gil de Madrigal, a Jesuit brother who arrived in Quito in 1634. The work gained momentum in 1636 with the arrival of Marcos Guerra, an Italian Jesuit priest who was also an architect and sculptor. The building was completed in 1765.

La Compañía served as the headquarters of the Jesuit order in Ecuador and also housed a school. After the expulsion of the Jesuits from Ecuador in 1767 by King Charles III, and during these 40 years many texts describing the history and architecture of the structure were lost.

During the colonial period, the bell tower of La Compañía was the tallest structure in Quito. The original tower was destroyed by an earthquake in 1859. It was rebuilt in 1865, but it was destroyed a second time by another earthquake in 1868 and never rebuilt. Another earthquake damaged the church in March 1987. This prompted another period of restoration, undertaken between 1987 and 2005.

The church houses many fabulous works of art but the most notable is the picture of Hell, attributed to Hernando de la Cruz. A crimson representation of what would be the home of Lucifer, who punishes the seven deadly sins. It is said that even today many mothers bring their children to see the painting so they know where they would go if they did not comply with the Catholic commandments. It is an impressing painting and I too would be scared into submission if I was a child looking at this painting for the first time.