La Merced Basilica (Guayaquil)

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Facade of the basilica

The Basílica Nuestra Señora de la Merced ( German  Basilica of Our Lady of Mercy ) is a Roman Catholic church in Guayaquil , the largest city in Ecuador . The church of the Archdiocese of Guayaquil was consecrated under the invocation of Mary from the ransom of the prisoners to the Blessed Mother Mary and bears the title of a minor basilica .

history

Interior of the basilica

The first church with the patronage was built by the order of the Mercedarians , who came to Guayaquil as one of the first orders during the colonial period. After new buildings in different places, the still wooden church of La Merced was built at the current location in 1787. After the demolition in 1927, today's stone church was built in a neo-Gothic-Byzantine style by the Italian architect Paolo Russo from 1934 to 1936. 1962 she was by Pope Paul VI. raised to the minor basilica. Today the church, located in a small park, is surrounded by high-rise buildings. Nuestra Señora de La Merced is the patron saint of the armed forces and the dioceses on the Ecuadorian coast.

architecture

The three-aisled church has a double tower facade with a triangular gable over the central part. The three portals are designed with arched archivolts . The interior is designed in neo-Gothic style as a pseudo basilica with ribbed vaults. The capitals are decorated with flowers and angels. Above the crossing a pointed arch dome was built over an octagonal drum . In the side of the vault there are rosettes with lead glazing for lighting.

The baroque high altar in the apse is divided into three floors, the middle of which bears the image of the Virgin of Mercy wearing a robe with the cross of the Knights Templar. The entire portrait is covered with gold leaf. It is still adorned with rich sculptural decorations and columns.

In the left aisle of the temple there is a picture of the Virgin Mary with a young girl, probably from 1790. An allegory of the Eucharist comes from the Italian sculptor Enrico Pacciani.

Web links

Commons : Basilica la Merced  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Basílica de Nuestra Señora de La Merced on gcatholic.org
  2. ↑ a b Basílica Menor La Merced on ec.viajandox.com

Coordinates: 2 ° 11 ′ 25.1 ″  S , 79 ° 52 ′ 51.4 ″  W.