Cuenca&#x27;s Old Cathedral &amp; Museum

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Cloister and Wood-Turning Lathe of El Carmen

The facade of the Cloister and Church of Carmen de La Asunción is one of the most interesting places in the Historical Centre of Cuenca (World Heritage Site by UNESCO), due to the colorful images it generates together with the Flowers’ Market. The order of nuns of El Carmen or "Carmelitas Descalzas" (Barefoot Carmelitas) was established in the city of Cuenca in the year 1682. The Monastery occupies the inside of the block opposite where the New Cathedral stands today. The most representative feature of this cloistered monastery is the wood-turning lathe, which is fitted into a hole in the wall next to the entrance door to the convent. It is used to pass objects from the outside to the inside and vice versa, without the people who give or receive them being seen. In other words, the lathe is an intermediary object between the cloister and the outside world, the means of communication between the contemplative and profane life. A few steps away from the wheel is a picture of the "Lord of Justice", which the Catholic faithful use to ask for divine intervention when they believe that earthly justice has failed them. People come to the wood-turning lathe to ask for spiritual advice. On the lintel of the entrance door to the monastery one can read "This is God's house and the door to heaven". People also go to the wood-turning lathe or to the humble shops next to the entrance of the house, in search of artisan products made by the Carmelites with medicinal plants and flowers, which they cultivate in the gardens of the cloister. They have a natural apothecary's shop. The "agua de pítimas" is the most popular. After drinking it people ask for a "piti más" or a little bit more. Other products are: red, white, blackberry and passion fruit wine, radish syrup, multivitamin syrup, lotion for muscle aches, pigeon jelly, lemon cream, cakes and snacks. The convent houses mural paintings, the most important in Cuenca and one of the most outstanding in America, sculptures and an enormous cliff or birthplace of Jesus. It is an authentic museum of religious art. The Carmelites are in charge of preserving the image of the "Traveler Child ", a sculpture of the newborn Jesus, and they also embroider his clothes by hand. This representation of Jesus Christ as a child presides every year, on December 24th, over the Pase Mayor or "Parade of the Traveler Child". The construction of the Church of Carmen began in 1727. It has a portal with Solomonic columns. It is small, with only one nave.

0.05 Km.

Former Palace of Justice in Cuenca

The facade of the "Palacio de Justicia" (the Palace of Justice or Courthouse) in the city of Cuenca occupies one of the corners of the Calderon Park or Central Park. It is an emblematic building. Along with the New Cathedral, the City Hall and a group of houses in the Historical Center, they have made "the city of marble" another name well earned by Cuenca. In addition, this building is part of the area declared by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The symbolic meaning of the structure of the Courthouse is important in the urban area, because it was built between 1914 and 1925 as the headquarters of the University of Cuenca. So, for a long time, the building’s main function was to generate knowledge, education and culture. Today its lobby is used for cultural and social events, with main access to the Sucre Theater. Although its architectural style is neoclassical, the materials used to build it are of diverse origin, an eclectic combination of Sayausí marble, bricks produced at El Tejar, polychrome brass for the ceilings imported from France, and colored glass brought from Belgium. The humanist Octavio Cordero Palacios was appointed by the University Board as director of the work, based on the designs of the Quito architect Francisco Espinoza. Around 1950 and after 25 years of operation, the property was sold to the Ecuadorian state. The State assigned it to the Judicial Function, and it was named "Palace of Justice". It houses the Provincial Court of Justice of Azuay. The marble, the dome, the cornices, the giant columns, the heraldic shields, make its facade very striking. That is why it is one of the most photographed buildings in the Historical Center of Cuenca, a World Heritage Site.

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Calderon Park (Central Park) in Cuenca

The Calderon Park, since the foundation of the city four and a half centuries ago, is the heart of Cuenca, the central point of its social, political and religious activities, or a silent witness to its most relevant historical events. It has been called Abdon Calderon Park since 1932, when the cast bronze statue of the "Héroe Niño" was located, which is eternally guarded by the giant Chilean araucarias, planted in 1875 by former president Luis Cordero. Its name evolved with the city, called Plaza Pública at the beginning of this one, then it became Plaza Grande or Mayor, Plaza Principal y de Armas, Plaza Vargas Torres at the beginning of the 20th century. Its benches are a meeting place for retirees, students or all kinds of walkers. It is a working place for photographers, street musicians, craftsmen, shoe shiners, newspaper and magazine sellers. Its gazebo is the stage for various cultural and political events or the secret accomplice of lovers. It is also famous for its portals that offer shelter from the rain or a hot sunny day or the design of its trees and flowers in geometric flower pots. The marble facades of the Palace of Justice and the New Cathedral stand out in the Park. Every year it is the venue for authentic popular festivals. The first established with the Cuenca Foundation is the "Septenario" in the month of June - 7 days of celebration in honour of the Body of Christ or "Corpus Christi" - which is manifested by the sale of sweets in traditional stalls on the paths around the park, fireworks called "castles" and "mad cows" or the raising of hot air balloons. Thousands of citizens gather every night, for 1 week, to watch the show. The second one is known as "El Pase del Niño Viajero", which takes place every December 24th. Center of the power, the Park in its surroundings lodges the main public buildings of political, judicial, religious, cultural and commercial institutions: the Old Cathedral, the house of the Family Ordóñez Mata, the Governor's Office of the province of the Azuay, stores Juan Eljuri, Vatex Galleries, Tosi House, the Old Seminary, the New Cathedral, the House of the Culture, the notaries, the Municipality of Cuenca, the Superior Court of Justice, BanEcuador. In recent years, the Calle Santa Ana, which is part of the original layout of the city, was reopened to tourism.

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Building of the Mayor's Office

Interest : Culture Type : Historic House Friendly to : children, families, seniors, handicapped, pets Relevant categories : Cuenca's Historic District World Cultural Site by UNESCO - Within Cajas Massif Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO - Cultural National Heritage by the Ecuadorian Government Hours : Monday to Friday 09:00 - 18:00, Saturdays 09:00 - 13:00 The building of the Mayor's Office of Cuenca belongs to the select group of patrimonial constructions that are the pride of the inhabitants of the city. Luis Donoso Barba built it for the headquarters of the Banco del Azuay, an entity that operated there from May 24, 1929 until its liquidation in 1999. Due to the façade of this building, in addition to the façades of the Superior Court of Justice, the New Cathedral and other houses in the historical center, the city is known as the "city of marble". In 2002, the Municipality of Cuenca received the building as a donation. It has an area of 2,500 m2. The ground floor is occupied by a gallery for artistic exhibitions. On the second floor there are the offices of the mayor, vice-mayor, the alternate room for the councillors, the secretary, the trade union and the financial management. The neoclassical-style building, without an internal courtyard, has spacious halls connecting various rooms. On the second floor, the brass ceiling stands out. It is undoubtedly one of the best examples of the French influence on Cuenca's architecture in the early 20th century. Its architect fulfilled the intention of its owners: to reflect greatness, luxury and economic power. The now disappeared Banco del Azuay was the first in Cuenca. Founded in 1913, in 1914 it became a pioneering entity when it printed the first Ecuadorian 1, 2, 5, 10 sucres banknotes.

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Santa Ana Colonial Street

Santa Ana Street, flanked in all its extension by the moles of the New Cathedral and the old Seminary, is the exact point where the city of Cuenca began its development, half a century ago. On the 12th of April 1557, a small group of 30 people, gathered in what was the only street of the place, next to an irrigation channel, solemnly founded the city, which is now a World Cultural Heritage Site. Unfortunately, the memory of the street fell asleep. The space of this one was occupied during decades for other tasks. Abusive characters ended up walled up by means of arbitrary measures and it became the extension of an educational center, during a large part of the 20th century. Fortunately for the history of the city, Santa Ana Street, named after the mother of the Virgin Mary, was rehabilitated for pedestrian traffic. It is a beautiful cobbled passage in the middle of the block, connecting from east to west Benigno Malo Street with Padre Aguirre. For the people of Cuenca, the street is a symbol of identity and of the rich heritage of the city. Reopened in 2017. Since then it has quickly become an important tourist attraction in the Historical Centre. Those who decide to walk through it must do so slowly. This is the only way to capture details such as the stained glass windows, the exposed brick or the sculptures of the New Cathedral on one side; the offers of shops, restaurants, cafes and the architecture of the old Seminary on the other side. During the restoration of the street, two archaeological windows were opened, for the observation of vestiges, like the first drains of the Cathedral or an old well. The latter was converted by the citizens into a "hole of desire". They throw inside it coins of different denominations or letters.

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Santa Ana Cathedral of Cuenca

It is said that the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, in Cuenca, Ecuador, is as big as the faith of the “Cuencanos”. It is also called the New Cathedral or simply the Cathedral. It is a catholic temple and the largest building in the city of Cuenca, which is World Cultural Heritage declared by UNESCO. Legend has it that when Bishop Miguel León ordered its construction, at the end of the 19th century, he would have expressed "I want a cathedral as big as the faith of my people". In the city of Cuenca, the third city in development of the Republic of Ecuador after Quito and Guayaquil, the religious fervor of its citizens can still be seen today. In its Historical Center more than 25 churches can be counted, sometimes up to two by each neighborhood, which is why it is also called "the city of the clergymen". The particularity of the presence of two churches in the same block or neighborhood is manifested in the Central Park of the city. In front of the New Cathedral there is the Old Cathedral. From its tower, the Franco-Spanish Geodesic Mission of the 18th century would have made the measurements that led the establishment of “metro” (meter) as a universal measure. The construction of the New Cathedral began in 1885 and ended 90 years later in 1975. It constitutes the great architectural attraction of Ecuador because of its size, at the same level as the Basilica of the National Vote in Quito city. The blueprints of the temple were designed by John Baptist Stiehle. Its two main towers have a characteristic truncated finish and one of the best panoramic views of the city. The cathedral marks the heart of Cuenca city, where 4 UNESCO’s awards coincide: the city’s historic center, the toquilla straw hat or "Panama hat" and the Camino del Inca (Inca Trail), which are World Heritages, plus the vast massif that includes the territory of the city which is a Biosphere Reserve.

0.17 Km.