INTERESTING PLACES
NUESTRA SEÑORA DE LA PURIFICACIO´S CHURCH
NUESTRA SEÑORA DE LA PURIFICACIO´S CHURCH
It was built in the 16th century over a little chapel that belonged to the 15th century. From the original chapel it is only preserved one of the doors, in late Gothic style. The wall decoration of the church has a special interest because it is one of the most extensive covered pictorial spaces in Extremadura.
The Parish Church of ‘Nuestra Señora de la Purificación y San Pedro’ is one of the most important and characteristic buildings of our town. It was built in the 16th century over a little chapel that belonged to the 15th century. From the original chapel it is only preserved one of the doors, in late Gothic style. The works began in 1522 and were completed in 1539, according to an inscription that visitants can see on the outer wall.
On the outside, visitors can see how the buttresses are decorated with cornices and pinnacles. It has a simple ogival front and two Plateresque side covers, which are beautiful examples of Renaissance art.
The tower, which stands at the end of the temple, was built in four sections, with two very distinct parts. The first part, which dates from the 15th century, has Gothic style, and is made up of two sections in ashlar. According to existing documents from 1497, the church had a tower that housed two bells. The second part, which belongs to the 16th century, has an Herrerian style and is built in plastered bricks.
The temple has a large nave with a length of 51 metres (15 metres wide and 25 metres high) and is the only existing nave in Extremadura that stands out with these dimensions. It is divided into five sections separated by semi-circular arches. Originally, these arches were pointed and supported an old granite cross vault that got collapsed in the 18th century due to the earthquake in Lisbon on 1st November 1755.
The reconstruction of the building was carried out by Carlos Centurión, Marquis of Serra, and Pedro Benito Fernández Flores, Marquis of La Encomienda. Today the barrel vault replaces the original ribbed roof and the section of the presbytery and apse, preserve its Gothic style.
The wall decoration of the church has a special interest because it is one of the most extensive covered pictorial spaces in Extremadura. It is based on clear, balanced compositions with defined themes and a great variety of colours. The compositions were ordered after the Civil War by the priest Manuel Alemán to the Italian painters Emilio Nembrini, Giovanni Gritti and Ottavio Bernardi. Their work began in 1948 and ended in 1951 thanks to the contribution of the local people and the efforts of the priest.
There is also interesting to talk about the remains of the Gothic paintings discovered after the cleaning and restoration works. These paintings represent figures of saints and angels, as well as some allegorical posters. The figures are distributed symmetrically in the intrados of the arch that leads from the lower body of the tower to the principal nave. In the keystone of the intrados, the face that can be seen that could be identified as the ‘Divino Creador’.
Ubication: Plaza de la Iglesia s/n.
Phone number: (+34) 924 666 967
Email: turismo1@almendralejo.es
Web: visita.almendralejo.es
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