Iglesia de El Carmen Alto

The Iglesia de El Carmen Alto sits at the corner of García Moreno and Rocafuerte, marked by the stone archway known as the Arco de la Reina that crosses the street nearby. This religious complex, officially the Monasterio del Carmen de San José, has been home to the Order of Discalced Carmelites since the mid-seventeenth century. While the sisters continue their life of prayer and enclosure behind these walls, parts of the building now house a museum dedicated to the art and history they have preserved for over three hundred and sixty years.