Subbetica
Parish of Saint Michael
Overlooking the hamlet of Palenciana stands the parish church of San Miguel, the town’s principal monument, which occupies one side of the central square of Nuestra Señora del Carmen. A chapel was established as early as the 17th century, and in 1714 it was elevated to the status of a parish church. However, although that first church was enlarged at that time, the growing population made it necessary to build a new church in 1774, funded by the lord of the town and 5th Marquis of Benamejí, Juan Bautista Bernuy Fernández de Henestrosa, as confirmed by a wall inscription recently discovered beneath the plaster. In two years, this building was raised from its foundations and erected; magnificently proportioned and beautifully constructed, these features lend it grandeur and beauty. On a smaller scale, it replicates the parish church of neighbouring Benamejí. Thus, it has a Latin cross plan with giant pilasters articulating its elevations, the shafts of these supports being recessed at the corners of the transept, where there are also elaborate geometric panels with sharply defined profiles, all characteristic of 18th-century Baroque, as are the sinuous mouldings surrounding the large windows of the arms. Barrel vaults with lunettes serve as the ceilings, except in the central section of the transept, which features a fluted dome with radial bands, creating a beautiful star-like effect that converges in a large central rose window with Rococo-style plasterwork. This dome is the most interesting feature of the church and bears a clear resemblance to that of the aforementioned parish church in Benamejí, both drawing on 18th-century Antequera architecture, which is logical given the proximity of this town in the province of Málaga.