Quito (Overview)

Quito stands at 2,850 m above sea level and is exposed to volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. The capital of Ecuador, this city contains several Marian shrines.

"Maria Santísima del Buen Suceso," is the chapel of the convent of the Immaculate Conception. The name means "Most Holy Mary of Good Success."

The origin of this shrine can be traced to the astonishing revelations received by Mother Mariana of Jesus Torres (1553-1635), who was abbess and one of the founders of the Royal Monastery of the Immaculate Conception of Quito. Between 1588 and 1634, this religious was favored by several apparitions of the Virgin Mary, and she offered her life to atone for the heresies, blasphemies and impiety of the 20th century. Interestingly, many of these apparitions predicted the influence of Freemasonry.

In 1991, this chapel was declared a Marian shrine of the Archdiocese of Quito.

Inmaculado Corazón de María (Patrona del Ecuador): Shrine of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Patroness of Ecuador).

This shrine commemorates a national vow made on March 25, 1875, by President Gabriel Garcia Moreno, to consecrate the Republic to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and to the Most Pure Heart of Mary.

Our Lady of Guápulo

Our Lady of Guápulo dates from 1587. This shrine is dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe (Spain). The current construction dates from 1696, a year when the population prayed for the healing of the bishop of the diocese. During a public procession of the statue of Our Lady of Guápulo, the Queen of Heaven appeared to the bishop, and cured him of a serious illness. (1)

Our Lady of Mercy, also known as Our Lady of the Earthquake:

The title of Our Lady of Mercy dates back to the year 1537. The origin of the statue is very uncertain, but is believed to have been a gift from Emperor Charles V to the missionaries of the Mercedarian Order when they left for Ecuador. (1) The church has been rebuilt several times.

Our Lady of Sorrows, at the Jesuit College of Saint Gabriel:

On April 20, 1906, in the Jesuit College of Saint Gabriel, the Virgin Mary manifested her presence by moving her eyes in a picture of Our Lady of Sorrows. Since then, this place has become a center of Marian pilgrimage and the image travels throughout the country. (2)

And an alleged apparition

From 1991 to January 3, 1998, the Virgin Mary and Christ allegedly appeared to three young people: Lucia (whom Jesus called “Catherine”), Xavier (“Francis”) and - from 1994 - Marcia (“Violet”). The heavenly visitors asked the seers to work for the unity of families, churches, and people. An organization called "Mother Mary of Unity" was founded and entrusted to a general moderator, Father Juan Abril; it includes a female congregation, approved on May 29, 1996, and a priestly society, approved by Bishop Gonzalez Zumarraga, Archbishop of Quito, on April 14, 1998, according to the newspaper El Impartial, issue # 166, November-December, 1998, 10. (3 )

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(1) Attilio GALLI, Madre della Chiesa dei Cinque continenti, Ed. Segno, Udine, 1997, p. 937-945.

(2) José Jouanen, El Milagro de La Dolorosa del Colegio, Quito 1931, p. 57.

(3) Patrick SBALCHIERO, « QUITO II », in: René LAURENTIN and Patrick SBALCHIERO, Dictionnaire encyclopédique des apparitions de la Vierge. Inventaire des origines à nos jours. Méthodologie, prosopopée, approche interdisciplinaire, Fayard, Paris 2007, annexes.