Santiponce Itálica

Heritage

An immense legacy waiting to be discovered

Purísima Concepción Church

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This temple, opened in March 1769, was the first building constructed in this village. Due to the epidemic of “Tercianas” or malaria, the church was used as a hospital for men and renamed “Juan Bautista Alvitt”.

It is a typical baroque church built during Pablo de Olavide’s repopulation initiative under King Carlos III.

The building has a basilica plan divided into three naves by Tuscan columns that support groin arches. The central nave, which is larger, ends with a high altar covered with a beautiful elliptical dome with a cupola. The entrance preserves the original, Rococo-style royal coat of arms. The church is topped with a simple, masonry bell gable in colonial baroque-style and a gabled roof. Its construction is attributed to Alonso Ruiz Florindo.

The 18th-century high altar, carved in gilded wood, is presided over by a wood sculpture of the Immaculate Conception. The upper section has a 17th-century painting of the Virgin and Child. The coat of arms of King Carlos III in polychrome wood can be seen above the altarpiece. Several secondary baroque-style, stucco altarpieces are located in the side aisles, including Saint Joseph or Saint Luis Gonzaga, as well as images of God the Father and Jesus Christ.

Another chapel, known as the baptismal chapel, is part of the original structure. Also noteworthy are some 18th-century paintings, such as Saint Anne and the 16th-century painting of “El Cautivo”. The Sacristy contains several sculptures and a few moderately damaged paintings, as well as gold and silverwork artefacts.

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