Basilica of La Merced, Quito

The Basilica of Nuestra Señora de la Merced, is a Catholic temple located in the Historic Center of the city of Quito, capital of Ecuador.

It is the first church and headquarters of the Mercedarian Order in the country, and for this reason it bears the title of Basilica.

The white building has five domes, a square tower and is decorated with Inca and Arabic inscriptions.

Bookcases line the walls of both floors and are linked inside by a beautiful carved wooden spiral staircase.

According to the inventory and cataloging carried out during the Library Conservation Project from 1994 to 1997, 22,000 volumes and more than 40,000 bibliographic records were counted.