In front of you is the Church of La Compañía de Jesús, famous for its interior covered in gold leaf. But this stop isn't about gold: it's about fear, faith and a girl of twenty-six.

1The Lily of Quito

Mariana de Paredes y Flores was born in Quito in 1618 and was orphaned very young. She lived as a penitent in her family's house, without entering any convent, and was a regular at this church, whose Jesuits were her confessors. She died on 26 May 1645.

Tradition says that, amid a run of earthquakes and epidemics, a Jesuit offered his life to God from the pulpit to save the city. Mariana stood up and offered hers instead, and soon afterwards she fell ill.

It is also said that the blood the doctors drew from her, poured into a flowerpot, sprouted a lily: that's why she is called the Lily of Quito. She was canonised in 1950 and her remains rest in this church.

2Hell at the entrance

The Jesuit brother Hernando de la Cruz, who was Mariana's spiritual guide, painted two large canvases in the first third of the 17th century: “Hell” and “The Last Judgement”. They were placed near the entrance, so that the faithful would see the fate of sinners as they came in, with a punishment for every vice.

In 1906, in the adjoining Jesuit school, some boarders claimed that a print of Our Lady of Sorrows opened and closed her eyes. The church authorities investigated and authorised its veneration: it is the “Dolorosa del Colegio”.

3What to look for

  • The six Solomonic columns of the doorway, carved in andesite.
  • The faces and figures of the frieze, among flowers and leaves.
  • The green dome, visible from the corner with Sucre street.
Colonial painting of Hell with the damned among flames
“Hell”, attributed to Brother Hernando de la Cruz (17th century).

Documented

Mariana de Jesús died in 1645, was canonised in 1950 and rests in La Compañía; the canvases of Hell and the Last Judgement are attributed to Hernando de la Cruz, in the 17th century.

Oral tradition

Her offering of her life to stop the earthquakes and the lily that grew from her blood belong to the devotional tradition surrounding Mariana de Jesús.

Sources and credits

Fundación Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús de Quito; José María Vargas, «Historia del arte ecuatoriano»; Instituto Nacional de Patrimonio Cultural del Ecuador.

Photos:

  • Carved volcanic-stone façade of the Church of La Compañía de Jesús: Ymblanter, CC BY-SA 4.0.
  • Colonial painting of Hell with the damned among flames: Hernando de la Cruz, Dominio público.

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