The Church and Monastery of Our Lady of Guápulo was the first Marian shrine in what is now the Republic of Ecuador, founded in 1620 in Guápulo, a beautiful corner located northeast of the city of Quito, the capital of the country, located at 2,690 meters above sea level. Friar Juan de Dios Navas affirmed that this Shrine is one of the best relics inherited from the Colony. The image of the Virgin of Guápulo was the model used for the sculpture of Our Lady of El Cisne and also that of El Quinche.
To get to the Guápulo Church, you must travel along the paved road known as the "Path of the Conquerors" (Camino de los Conquistadores), which was used by Francisco de Orellana in 1542 as a route that led him to discover the Amazon River.
History
Around 1587, a small chapel was erected in the Real Audiencia of Quito in Guashayacu (Guápulo), dedicated to the cult of the Mother of God in the invocation of Our Lady of Guadalupe of Guápulo. This dedication has its origin in the Virgin of Guadalupe of the Province of Extremadura, Spain, and was brought to Quito by the Spanish conquerors.
Guápulo was originally a small indigenous community, which, upon the arrival of the Spaniards, became part of the Cumbayá doctrine.
It was the first Ecuadorian Marian sanctuary.
The primitive image of Our Lady of Guadalupe was carved by the artist Diego de Robles and painted by the painter Luis de Rivera.
In 1593 the Ilmo. Solís, Bishop of Quito, determined the construction of a second chapel.
The current construction of the sanctuary corresponds to the third construction of the same, begun in 1650 and finished in 1690. It has the shape of a Latin cross of 60 m by 27 m in the transept.
The priest José Herrera was the promoter of this work: he toured the Americas with the image of the "Peregrina" (Pilgrim), a gift from Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor in search of funds to complete the work.
The construction architect of the current monastery was the Franciscan religious Friar Antonio Rodríguez.
Among the main artists who worked for its ornamentation are: Diego de Robles, Miguel de Santiago, Nicolás Gorívar, Juan Bautista Menacho, Gualoto, Manuel Chili "Caspicara", Samaniego.