Subbetica

Parish of Saint Catherine the Martyr

Parish of Saint Catherine the Martyr

Templo neoclásico con retablo de Alonso Gómez de Sandoval, capillas dedicadas y valiosas esculturas, incluyendo piezas de platería rococó.

It was built following the town’s relocation to its present site in 1435, erected by papal bull of Alexander VI and founded as an abbey of the Fernández de Córdoba family in 1497. The original building, damaged by the earthquake of 1761 and subsequently renovated, was eventually replaced by the present church, constructed in 1784.

It is a church with a sober façade; the interior is divided into three naves separated by octagonal brick pillars supporting semicircular arches, with a groined vault as the sole form of roofing, with the exception of the dome over the chancel.

The main altarpiece, of great simplicity and in the Neoclassical style, was completed in 1790 and is associated with the work of the Cordoban artist Alonso Gómez de Sandoval. It consists of three sections, with the central section housing the sculptures of the church’s patron saint and Saint Peter. On either side, at the head of the side aisles, are the chapels of the Immaculate Conception and Our Lady of Sorrows; whilst the chapels of the Tabernacle and Jesus of Nazareth form the line of the transept.

It boasts a significant sculptural heritage, notably the images of the Cristo Moreno from the mid-16th century; the Virgin of the Rosary from the circle of Pablo de Rojas; the Recumbent Christ and Saint Bartholomew, both attributed to the workshop of Alonso de Mena; as well as a valuable image of Saint Joseph from the late 18th century.

It also houses important pieces of silverwork, such as the monstrance, a Madrid-made Rococo piece gifted by the Abbot in the late 18th century.