Iguana gargoyles jut from Basilica of the National Vow, Quito, Ecuador, South America. The Basilica of the National Vow (Spanish: Basílica del Voto Nacional) is a Roman Catholic church, neo-Gothic in style, located a few blocks away from Plaza de la Independencia in Quito. Interesting gargoyles (grotesques) of Ecuadorian fauna adorn the exterior. Construction began in 1892. Pope John Paul II blessed the Basilica on January 30th, 1985 and in 1988 it was declared immaculate. Although the church was consecrated in 1988, it remains technically "unfinished." The Basilica is 150 meters long, 35 meters wide, 35 meters high in the sanctuary and 15 meters in the votive chapels. Its towers are 78.23 meters high, 73 meters in the dome, 16 meters by 45 meters on the base of its towers. San Francisco de Quito, most often called Quito (elevation 9350 feet), is the capital city of Ecuador.
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