Basilica of the National Vow, Gothic Revival church in historic center, Quito, Ecuador
The Basilica of the National Vow is a grey stone Gothic Revival church in Quito's historic center, with two clock towers flanking a gabled facade, a rose window and pointed-arch portal between them, and a second tower with a pierced spire over the transept. Its central nave measures 140 m long, 35 m wide and 30 m high, and the front towers reach 83 m.
Father Julio Matovelle proposed in 1883 a monument to Ecuador's consecration to the Sacred Heart; President Luis Cordero issued the decree that July, and José María Plácido Caamaño ratified it in March 1884. The first stone was laid on 10 July 1892, and the basilica was blessed by John Paul II in 1985 and consecrated on 12 July 1988.
The basilica's 24 side chapels are each dedicated to a province of Ecuador, and the building is also called the Basilica of San Juan for the Santa Prisca neighbourhood where it stands. A local legend holds that when the church is finally finished, the world will end, which is why it remains technically unfinished.
Visitors can climb to a viewing platform at the top of the towers, which overlooks the city, for a small fee. The public crypt below holds the National Pantheon of Ecuador, where several former presidents are buried. Expect many stairs on the way up.
The basilica is technically unfinished: local legend holds that when the last stone is laid, the world will end or Ecuador will cease to exist as a sovereign state. Construction of the nave was completed in 1924, yet decorative details remain pending.
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