Santiponce Itálica

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Shrine to Nuestra Señora del Castillo

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The Shrine to Our Lady of the Castle is the epitome of Mudejar religious architecture in Western Andalusia. This Christian temple was built next to the Castle’s former parade ground around the second half of the 14th century. This is evidenced by its declaration as a Historic-Artistic Monument in 1931.

The building has not undergone any major renovation throughout history. It has a basilica plan with three naves separated by pointed horseshoe arches on bevelled brick pillars. It has a flat, tripartite apse with three independent areas: presbytery, sacristy and secondary chapel. Most Gothic-style elements are concentrated in the main chapel or presbytery. These include the groin vault and the slender pointed arch that separates this area from the nave for worship. As for the two side chapels, both are separated from the rest of the nave by semi-circular arches. However, the Gospel side is covered by an octagonal vault with simple ribs and a strong Almohad influence, and the Epistle side has a lowered vault with modern frescoes.

The temple is an example of cultural symbiosis between the Islamic and Christian worlds. Worthy of note it the Gothic image of Our Lady of the Castle, patron saint of Lebrija since the mid-17th century, an anonymous polychrome wood statue from the last third of the 14th.

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