Iglesia de Santo Domingo

Iglesia de Santo Domingo is a church building in Quito's Old Town with a distinctive white stone facade and tall bell tower set on sloping ground. Inside, multiple chapels feature cedar and gold leaf decorations, and the museum holds religious paintings, sculptures, and manuscripts from the Quito School tradition.

Construction started in 1540 under Dominican friars as the colony established itself in the region. Italian architects added neogothic modifications in the 1800s, reshaping parts of the structure to reflect changing tastes.

The Rosary Chapel inside reveals how religious spaces reflected colonial society: the lower level was for enslaved people and indigenous residents, while upper sections served the Creole elite. Walking through these levels, visitors notice how architecture reinforced the social divisions of the era.

The building sits on uneven ground, so its levels have different access points; a supporting arch helps maintain structural stability. Visitors should expect to navigate varying floor heights when exploring the interior and chapels.

The building rests on hilly terrain and required creative solutions: a massive supporting arch built beneath the church is an engineering feat that has held the foundation for centuries. This hidden structure reveals how early builders solved the challenge of construction on steep ground.