Religious, Spiritual sights in Cuenca
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Churches
Two blocks east of Plaza de San Sebastián stands the bare, 19th-century Church of San Cenáculo (cnr Bolívar & Montalvo). One block north of the church is Gran Colombia, the main handicraft and shopping street in Cuenca. The street's landmark building is the Church of Santo Domingo (cnr Gran Colombia & Padre Aguirre), which has some fine carved wooden doors and colonial paintings inside. Although it looks older, the church was built in the early 20th-century.
Although its doors are rarely open to the public, the Church of El Carmen de la Asunción (Mariscal Sucre near Padre Aguirre), founded in 1682, is one of Cuenca's prettiest sights, thanks to the colorful flower mark…
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A
Catedral de la Inmaculada Concepción
Parque Calderón is the city's main plaza, dominated by the Catedral de la Inmaculada Concepción, the 'new cathedral,' whose giant sky-blue domes are visible mainly from the rear of the church. Inside, the marbled interior is rather stark. Construction began in 1885, and the cathedral was supposed to be much taller than it is - an error in design meant that the intended bell towers could not be supported by the building.
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El Sagrario
This stark-white 'old cathedral' goes almost unnoticed thanks to the stunning Catedral de la Inmaculada Concepción nearby. Construction began in 1557, the year Cuenca was founded. In 1739, it was used as a triangulation point by La Condamine's expedition to measure the shape of the earth. More recently, it was renovated for the 1985 visit of Pope John Paul II to Ecuador.
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B
‘Old Cathedral’
The whitewashed ‘old cathedral’ is also known as El Sagrario. Construction began in 1557, the year Cuenca was founded, and in 1739 La Condamine’s expedition used its towers as a triangulation point to measure the shape of the earth. It is now deconsecrated and serves as a religious museum and recital hall.
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C
Church of El Carmen de la Asunción
The stark, white Church of El Carmen de la Asunción, which was founded in 1682, contrasts beautifully with the colorful flower market held on the small Plazoleta del Carmen out front.
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