Religious Buildings
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As in many other cities from Ecuador, Guayaquil inherited the catholic organization from the colonial Spanish times and was divided in parishes. Nonetheless, many of the original religious and historic buildings tied to those parishes were destroyed by fires and the attack of English, French, and Dutch pirates. Today, very few remains of religious colonial architecture are present and in all cases have been altered without preserving their originality. The oldest church of Guayaquil, rebuilt many times though, is the "Iglesia de Santo Domingo".
Guayaquil has a cathedral and many other Roman Catholic churches. Approximately 80% of Guayaquileños are Catholics, however, several Protestant groups are also present, such as the Evangelical Church with about 150,000 members.
Many other faiths and religions are represented throughout the city. There is a LDS Temple and many meetinghouses or churches of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. There is a small Jewish community, composed mostly of Israeli citizens, and German immigrants who fled Germany during the Second World War. Guayaquil is home to the only Messianic synagogue in coastal Ecuador.
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