Parish Church of San Marcos Evangelista

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El Saucejo. Fachada de la Iglesia de San Marcos

El Saucejo. Campanario de la Iglesia de San Marcos

El Saucejo. Campanario de la Iglesia de San Marcos con fuente y macetas delante

The church dates from the mid-17th century, the name of San Marcos being clearly linked to the devotions of the 4th Count of Ureña, Don Juan Téllez Girón (1624-1656).

The current church was rebuilt in the 18th century between 1759-1763 after the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. It has three naves, a baptismal chapel in the Epistle nave and a tabernacle in the Gospel nave. The church has a Latin cross floor plan with three naves, a central transept and a choir at the end. The columns of the nave are in Tuscan style and made of limestone, and the transept has pillars with a cross-shaped section.

In the Gospel nave we find the Chapel of the Tabernacle, the Pulpit, the doors to the choir and the bell tower and the exit door for the processional floats. The Tabernacle Chapel serves an alcove for the Virgen del Rosario, patron saint of the town, dating back to the 18th century and restored by Illanes.

The hexagonal pulpit is made of red marble with black marble tears on the base, with a five-step staircase and wooden handrails. In the Epistle nave are the Sacristy and the Hall, as well as several altarpieces and the chapels of Jesus the Nazarene and the Baptistery, which contains an 18th century red jasper baptismal font.

In the Chancel is the Main Altarpiece from the Church of the Company of Jesus of Osuna, which dates back to 1700. It has a body of three sections separated by Solomonic columns, the central one with the tabernacle, the manifestador and the attic.

The bell tower is located on the left side. It has a quadrangular shape and four sections. The first two are whitewashed and with yellow coloured polychrome and the remaining two are made of exposed brick with bevelled edges. The tower is crowned by a spire.

Some of the most outstanding chattels currently found in the church are the altarpieces, the oldest and most important being the main altarpiece. In addition to these is the sculptural imagery that accompanies the altarpieces and other items of painting and gold work.

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