Santa Catalina and Its Link to Garcia Moreno
Santa Catalina de Sienna Church and Convent with museum occupy the corner of Flores y Espejo. The house acquired for this intent in the 17th century belonged to Don Lorenzo de Cepeda, brother of Santa Teresa de Jesus of Avila, Spain. Eighteen nuns first espoused themselves to Christ here in 1614. Seven years later, the number exploded to 30 nuns. The convent never changed hands. This Dominican church built in the 17th century, fell and arose rebuilt in the 18th century. Up until the Novus Ordo changed everything, the nuns practiced perpetual silence in profound meditation. The cells appear through a window from the museum as a tour guide leads you. Silence broke briefly at "recreation" time. Then the nuns returned to their cells to pray, leaving them only to work and eat... never exiting the convent. In this convent Gabriel Garcia Moreno lay buried in secret for 100 years after his death at the request of the family. Even his dead body needed protection from the hands of his enemies who sought to destroy his reputation as well as his person. Fascinating art here at Santa Catalina Church and Convent together with that of their museum captured my attention like that of the rest of the colonial churches. A statue of Mary in Dormition in the museum exudes beads of sweat or a white film as of frost at times when a person rich in purity touches it, such as a very small child, according to witnessing tour guides.
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