Well, who’d have thought I’d ever write a blog about a church. And I even spent an hour and a half in it and that’s without taking up the option to have a beer up in the tower (only because I ran out of time and it was closing). The Basilica del Voto Nacional is not quite your average church. It is a real church or cathedral or basilica but much more blatant about making money.

Located centrally, the Basilica was started in the 1890’s and still remains unfinished today. Everyone has a different reason for that. One of my favourites is that because when it is finished a great catastrophe will occur, although I lean towards the one that says once it’s finished, they have to start paying taxes on it. It’s a pretty significant piece of architecture and I’m sure the church aren’t loose with their cash and that would add to the extended time frame. Not to mention political instability, ongoing design changes and differing economic priorities. The unfinished parts are mainly decorational. Is that even a word? Is now.

Regardless. It’s a great building and I was happy to pay the $9AUD to explore it. It’s huge. Often compared to Notre Dame in Paris. It is built in the same style but with some great local changes. My favourite is that the normally grotesque gargoyles are now Ecuadorian animals like the tortoise, iguanas or condors. The best part is that once you pay the money you get to visit most parts of the building, especially the three towers. There is a lift in one of the towers so that they can get money off old and disabled people as well. Perhaps I’m being a bit harsh here.

The two matching towers at the front are 115 metres and give you a great view of my hotel. But I think I’m slightly higher. And closer to God. I climbed up through the various levels where they have souvenir shops selling religious stuff as well as touristy stuff. There’s also a café with food and drinks including beer and wine. You eventually climb up through a trapdoor and a spiral staircase into the room behind the clock faces which is pretty cool and then another tight spiral staircase puts you outside with the final steeple. You can do this on both towers.

You also get up close and personal with the big circular stained glass window and a great view of the inside of the main church from the balcony. I think there was a big organ around that level as well but I can’t remember. Then you can walk through the ceiling space above the nave which stretches from the front door to the alter. The walkway is more like a fashion runway in Paris but leads you over to the third tower at the other end of the church. You get to see how they formed the great arches in the ceilings below. If you like that sort of stuff.

The third tower would be an OH&S nightmare. It has a couple of steep external staircases. Not staircases. Steep ladders. It was entertaining and scary just watching people climb or try to climb them. Many didn’t. And there didn’t seem to be anyone around supervising. The view was great but not quite as high as the main towers, but I had to enjoy it a bit longer as some girl going down facing away from the ladder was frozen and her boyfriend was trying to talk her down. Actually that’s probably why I ran out of time to have a beer.

The grounds outside were also interesting and occupied quite a bit of flat land which is a bit of a premium in Quito. There was this interesting underground part which wasn’t included in the price and which I would have liked to check out. The city also has lots of other interesting churches which I stuck my head in but the one I didn’t was opposite the Cherub with the penis. It has a famous gold interior and was expensive to enter and I think the guide said you can’t take photos. But obviously you can steal them off the internet.

It’s the Iglesia de San Francisco which was built between 1535 and 1680 by the Spanish. It features a few different styles reflecting the changes over its construction timeframe. Not so flash on the outside but pretty flash on the inside. The main alter known as the Altar de la Virgen de los Dolores is the golden centrepiece. I don’t know what it is with all the virgins in South America. Especially when they want more parishioners. I’m feeling a bit cynical because there were people begging on the steps of one of the churches today.  And so many people go to church. There seems to be mass every day. I’d like to think if Jesus popped back down he would sell everything off and give it to the needy and then just preach at the local soccer field.

I must finish though by saying how generous the people of South America are. You often see people stop and give money to someone begging on the street. There are also lots of people doing menial tasks like stopping traffic as someone backs out of a carparking spot. The driver always seems to give the person money. Or buying a lollipop off someone on a street corner. Every set of traffic lights or big speed hump has someone selling stuff or cleaning windscreens or kicking tyres, just to get a few cents. People get on a bus and tell their life story and then walk down the aisle and some people give them money. Or people come into a restaurant and sing or play music and people give them money.  

The other day in a busy local restaurant I had to share my table with a young couple. A guy came into the restaurant asking people for money (as they often do). He spoke to her and then she picked up the piece of chicken off her plate which she hadn’t even started to eat and gave it to him in a napkin. Turns out she spoke English, and she told me she only had a card and no cash. I felt guilty. It is a bit confronting at times. I do give money on occasions but also feel I could give away everything I have and it wouldn’t make a difference. Except to me.