the making of this church and main chapel and choir of San Francisco, because the convent does not have what to pay them, they are given legal possession of the plots above the quarries and towards the Pichincha mountain(...)". Second phase It corresponds to the internal ornamentation and minor architectural complementation, and covers the period between 1651 and 1755. During these years the rise and consolidation of the Order was reflected in the increase in the artistic assets of the Maximum Convent (this church). Its splendor, however, was seriously affected as a result of the 1755 earthquake which, among other things, destroyed partially the Mudéjar artesonado ceiling in the main nave of the church. The 16th-century Mudéjar artesonado is preserved in the crossing and in the choir nave. Restorations and adaptations Both the temple and the chapels and the various cloisters of the Convent underwent various changes from the mid-18th century, especially due to the various earthquakes it had to face. These stages could be considered within the construction process. Third phase This corresponds to a period of architectural reconstruction that occurred between the years 1756 and 1809. Despite the secularization of the doctrines, which caused a considerable decrease in the funds of the Province of Quito, the Franciscans dedicated an enormous effort to the reconstruction of the conventual dependencies. With regard to this, there was an aesthetic redefinition of the interior of the church, by placing a Baroque coffered ceiling in the main nave that did not attempt against the aesthetic harmony of the entire complex. Fourth phase This stage corresponds to the institutional crisis of the Franciscan Order and the consequent extirpation of spaces suffered by the Basilica between 1810 and 1894. A deep crisis of values went through the Order during these years; the Franciscans were forced to cede large areas of the Maximum Convent, which caused their functional destructuring. However, in the areas that remained under their control, traditional forms of organization persist. Modern phase From 1895 to 1960, a new use of spaces was produced and modernity arrived at the complex. Despite the fact that San Francisco has preserved its physical structure unalterably, at this stage there were changes linked to the application and use of new construction techniques and materials at the time of the interventions. Due to the modernization of the city's urban infrastructure, the convent facilities benefited from electricity, drinking water, sewerage