The Best View In Quito V
by Al Bourassa
Title
The Best View In Quito V
Artist
Al Bourassa
Medium
Photograph - Photographic Artworks
Description
This digitally altered artwork is derived from a photograph taken during a tour of Ecuador and parts of Central America April 5, 2010 in the capital, Quito, Ecuador.
San Francisco de Quito, most often called Quito is the capital city of Ecuador in northwestern South America. It is located in north-central Ecuador in the Guayllabamba river basin, on the eastern slopes of Pichincha, an active stratovolcano in the Andes Mountains. With a population of approximately 1,504,991 in 2005, Quito is the second most populous city in Ecuador, after Guayaquil.
The Basilica del Voto Nacional, which took over hundred years to build (the first stone was laid on July 10th, 1892), is one of the last displays of ideology and partisanship by Catholic church, following the request during García Moreno’s presidency that Ecuador be dedicated to the Corazón de Jesús.
Father Julio María Matovelle pushed for the construction, for which swathes of land were purchased on San Juan Hill, and today it dominates the city and the historic center. The project was contracted out in France to architect Emilio Tarlier, who, inspired by the cathedral in Bourges, drew up the plans between 1890 and 1896.
From practically any corner of the city the largest gothic basilica in Ecuador and all Latin America is visible. It is one of the most beautiful churches in the city, adorned with gargoyles inspired by the country’s fauna such as armadillos, iguanas, Galápagos tortoises, etc. Because of their quality, the murals in the interior, as well as the stained glassed windows made in Barcelona, deserve a close look.
If you are not afraid of heights and would like to take delight in one of the best panoramas of both old and new Quito, climb the stairs of the main tower and you can arrive behind the clocks. Each section offers picture-postcard views of the city from a height of 117 metres. From here I was able to walk above the ceiling to the rear tower that offers this incredible view of the Virgen De El Panecillo.
El Panecillo is a hill located in the middle west of the city at an altitude of about 9,895 ft (3,016 m) above sea level. A monument to the Virgin Mary is located on top of El Panecillo and is visible from most of the city of Quito. In 1976, the Spanish artist Agustín de la Herrán Matorras was commissioned by the religious order of the Oblates to build a 134.5 ft (41 m)–tall aluminum monument of a Madonna, which was assembled on a high pedestal on the top of Panecillo. Made of approximately 7,000 pieces of aluminum, the monument was inaugurated on March 28, 1976, by the 11th archbishop of Quito, Cardinal Pablo Muñoz Vega. The figure stands on top of a globe, standing on top of a chained snake, symbolizing her triumph over evil.
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Uploaded
April 29th, 2015
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