Carmen Church

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The 16th-century Church originally belonged to the convent of the Barefoot Carmelite Fathers. However, the remains from that time are negligible due to the extensive renovation carried out in the 18th century, and the reconstruction works between 1881 and 1883 that gave it a neoclassical feel.

The church consists of two 18th-century parallel naves built in opposite directions. The central nave, covered with a groin vault, has an entrance at the west end, next to the tower.

The nave that holds the image of Our Lady of Solitude is narrower and covered by a groin vault. Part of its walls is decorated with black marble and jasper that simulate rocks and jars. All elements are from the second third of the eighteenth century, as is the red and black jasper baptismal font.

Several sculptures that decorate the temple’s altarpieces, mostly from the 18th century, are worthy of note, including the half-length Ecce Homo (1644) in an altarpiece on the left side, and the Baroque wooden casket with tortoiseshell and silver trim (1730), attributed to Pedro Duque Cornejo, in which lies a 16th-century Reclining Christ. All these artworks are located in the namesake chapel.

The temple also boasts a remarkable collection of paintings, including The Death of Saint Joseph with the portrait of the donor, which reflect a particular influence by Zurbaran, on the right side of the central nave.

The church’s brick tower is rendered with pale albero yellow on the smooth surfaces and clay red on the horizontal elements. It consists of six tiers. The bottom four have a square plan, and its foundations support a semi-circular arch between pilasters. The two upper levels, one octagonal and the other circular are decorated with semi-circular arches with double-encased pilasters. Another section of the tower has semi-circular niches in double pilasters with marble sculptures of Carmelite saints.

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