Skip to content
Photo: Ministerio de Turismo Ecuador · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Basílica de El Cisne

Southern Ecuador’s great Marian sanctuary, a Gothic-style basilica among the mountains.

  • A unos 75 km

In the parish of El Cisne, about 75 km from Loja, stands the Gothic-style basilica that houses the image of the Virgin of El Cisne, the deepest devotion in southern Ecuador. Beside it are a handicraft market and a museum with the Virgin’s robes and offerings.

Every 17 August the pilgrimage begins: thousands of pilgrims walk with the image to Loja, where it arrives on 20 August; the first 21 km stage ends in San Pedro de la Bendita. The Virgin stays in Loja Cathedral until 1 November and then returns to her sanctuary.

The El Cardenal family has been linked to this devotion from the very beginning. We organise day trips with mass, the market and the museum.

Pale blue and white Gothic façade of the El Cisne Basilica and its tower, among the village rooftops and the mountains
Pale blue and white Gothic façade of the El Cisne Basilica and its tower, among the village rooftops and the mountains
Photo: Ministerio de Turismo Ecuador · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Tower of the El Cisne shrine beside the Campo Mariano, the large pilgrims' esplanade, under a cloudy sky
Tower of the El Cisne shrine beside the Campo Mariano, the large pilgrims' esplanade, under a cloudy sky
Photo: Arabsalam · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
The village of El Cisne on the hillside, with the pale blue basilica standing out above the tiled roofs
The village of El Cisne on the hillside, with the pale blue basilica standing out above the tiled roofs
Photo: Arabsalam · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Inside the El Cisne Basilica: golden main altarpiece with the image of the Virgin, columns and stained glass
Inside the El Cisne Basilica: golden main altarpiece with the image of the Virgin, columns and stained glass
Photo: TriiipleThreat · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Nearby

More places to visit

Religioso

Cantón Catamayo, en la ruta a El Cisne

San Pedro de la Bendita

The village of roscones and bizcochuelos where the story of “El Cardenal” began, first stop of the El Cisne pilgrimage.

Discover more

Naturaleza

Junto al hotel

Río Malacatos

The hotel stands on the banks of the Malacatos river, in a quiet residential neighbourhood free of traffic noise, a 7-minute walk from the Supermaxi.

Discover more

Naturaleza

A 2 minutos

Parque Lineal La Tebaida

The green space closest to the hotel: riverside paths along the Malacatos, sports courts, picnic areas and an orchid house.

Discover more