The Metropolitan Cathedral of Quito is located in the Historic Center of the Most Noble and Most Loyal City of San Francisco de Quito. It is the seat of the Archdiocese of Quito and occupies the entire southern flank of the city’s Independence Square, which has become its most famous landmark despite not being its main entrance. In 1995, it was elevated to the status of Primate Cathedral of Ecuador, making it the highest-ranking Catholic church of the Catholic Church in Ecuador.