Convento de La Merced

The La Merced church/monastery is located in the historic center of Quito, between Cuenca, Mejía, Imbabura and Chile streets. The Fine stone craftsmanship of its facades is of exceptional beauty. In the convent’s interior treasures of immeasurable value are guarded.

The monastery has a brick courtyard measuring 29 meters per side. In one corner there is now a stone cross that for centuries used to adorn the entrance of the church. Today, the cross rests on a rectangular base on which the faces of the four evangelists and the shield of the Mercedarian Order were engraved. On one of its sides the date “1927” is carved, marking the year the cross was placed in the courtyard, exactly 30 years after having been removed from the church’s entrance. On the upper portion of the pedestal, four etched lions embellish each corner.

This is one of the most striking monastery of Quito, adorned with stone pillars and decked whith fascinating white hallways. In the center of its large patio a magnificent stone fountain is foud, carved whit the figure of neptune. In the upper section of the convent there are a series of paintings depicting the life of St. Francis Xavier, which were painted by Hernando de la Cruz.