Subbetica
Parish of Our Lady of the Assumption
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To visit the parish outside of liturgical times, you must BOOK A GUIDED TOUR (minimum 10 people).
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The old medieval church of Santa María became too small for a growing population once the town ceased to be a border with the Kingdom of Granada. For this reason, Bishop Cristóbal de Rojas y Sandoval promoted the construction of a new parish church, which stands next to the old town walls and at the foot of the castle. Work began in 1557 based on plans by Hernán Ruiz II and continued until 1598. Master builders such as Sebastián de Peñarredonda, Hernán Ruiz III, Juan de Ochoa, Juan Aranda Salazar and Eufrasio López de Rojas successively oversaw the works, although it was the last of the Hernán Ruiz family who served as the chief master builder. As was traditional in the region, the parish church was designed as a three-nave building, with very spacious naves and magnificent ashlar masonry, a design derived from the ‘Fernandine’ or Reconquista-era parish churches. Like these, it lacks a transept, and its chancel is triple, with the High Chapel standing out for its size, although all have a straight apse.