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The Basílica de Santa María is the oldest church in Alicante, standing in a pretty square at the foot of the castle hill, on the site of the main mosque of the Moorish town. It was built mainly between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries in the Gothic style, with a single tall, austere nave, though over the centuries it gained richer decoration. Its most striking feature is its main facade, where a wonderfully ornate Baroque doorway, carved with swirling columns and a figure of the Virgin, was later set into the plainer Gothic front, and two unequal, mismatched towers frame the whole, giving the church a characterful, slightly lopsided charm. Inside are a gilded Baroque high altar and a fine organ. As the church built to replace the mosque, Santa María symbolises the Christian conquest of the city and remains its most venerable place of worship.
Wissenswertes
- 14 century — The Gothic basilica was begun in the fourteenth century over the main mosque
- 2 towers — Two unequal, mismatched towers frame its characterful facade
- 1 doorway — An ornate Baroque doorway was later set into the plainer Gothic front
📍 Carrer de la Vila Vella, 03002, Alacant / Alicante