The Our Lady of Mercy Cathedral, or simply Machala Cathedral, is one of the most beautiful buildings in the El Oro Province. It is hard to say which style predominates in the architecture of the temple. It is absolutely unique because the construction of the church took many years and many architects, each of whom tried to introduce something special and beautiful in his own vision.

The construction of Machala Cathedral began on the place of an old and timeworn chapel in 1900. It was an impractical decision to make a small building of wood because of salty winds and damp climate. It had to be constantly renewed and restored to avoid its dilapidation. But nobody wanted to change the temple’s habitual location, so until 1928, the old chapel got gradually reconstructed. Firstly, the side towers were replaced: the wooden structures were surrounded by stone walls. Then the central part of the temple was in focus: it was precisely there that a beautiful wooden pedestal was installed with a statue of Lady of Mercy. It was created by famous artist Francisco Cárdenas Vallejo.

The Sacred Lady of Mercy is in very high respect in Ecuador. It is believed that she is not only a protector of separate cities but the whole country. That is why temples are erected in her name, and her images are so popular in the religious culture.

But even though the main shrine was placed in the cathedral, its construction wasn’t finished yet. Moreover, in 1949, a new architect arrived in town and suggested changing the temple’s exterior. He considered that the project, created at the beginning of the century, was no longer actual. After some brief disputes, his changes were taken into consideration, and a new building stage began. But unfortunately, in 1951, the architect passed away, and the temple was left with no one to direct the construction works.

Though they weren’t completed, services were already conducted there. In 1954, the headquarters of the Diocese of Machala moved there. It triggered the desire to complete the construction finally.

The official opening of the new temple happened in 1962.