San Diego Recoleta Church and Convent
In 1598 construction blossomed under a Franciscan priest, Bartolome Rubio. The magnificence of the library served him well. Franciscan nuns taught here. Recoletas emerged at the time of the Council of Trent under Pope Pius V at the beginning of the 17th century. The thick walls insulate, shutting out the noise for the silence the religious desire and need for meditation, barring the world out. The recoleta church opens to the public on weekends at the time of the Mass. I arrived just as the 7:00 AM Mass ended, and after a few minutes promptly left - as the doorkeeper prepared to lock up. The museum posts its daily schedule outside its door.
In a special small chapel, La Virgen de Las Mercedes del Volcan, much older than the Recoleta, awaits veneration. This statue appeared 100 years earlier from the crater of Volcan Pichincha... what a find! A small chapel dedicated to the souls in purgatory, holds a retablo donated to Quito by Pope Pius IX for having consecrated Ecuador to the Sacred Heart. San Diego Recoleta Church and Convent reign colonial in their niche of the ciry.
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