Convento de San Diego

Quito


Overlooking the Old Town, this beautiful 17th-century Franciscan convent sits in a quiet courtyard behind thick walls. Inside, you’ll find outstanding colonial works from both the Quito and Cusco Schools, including one of Quito’s finest pulpits, carved by the notable indigenous wood-carver Juan Bautista Menacho.

There’s also a fascinating 18th-century painting by Miguel de Santiago of the Last Supper. The oddest piece of work here is an unidentified painting by Hieronymus Bosch, titled Passage from this Life to Eternity: no one can explain how it got here. At the end of the tour, you can climb narrow stairs to the bell tower and walk along the rooftop.


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