Alcala de Guadaira – Santiago el Mayor Church

Santiago el Mayor Church of Alcala de Guadaira

The Santiago el Mayor Church of Alcalá de Guadaíra is located in the Plaza del Derribo, in the heart of the city, a few meters from the Fortified Enclosure and the Church of Santa María del Águila.

Its foundations date back to 1500, it has a Gothic floor plan with three naves covered with a rib vault. Another part is neoclassical from the 18th century.

It is one of the most important buildings for its architectural characteristics.

Of its three naves, the oldest is the one with the ante-presbytery covered by a decadent type ribbed vault resting on cylindrical pillars that suggests the proximity of the Renaissance and the first two sections in each of the lateral naves, also with Simple type ribbed vaults. Fully within the constructive forms of the mid-16th century is the coffered vault of the main chapel, with beautiful and elegant lines. The three naves of the body of the church correspond to the 18th century, covered by domed vaults with vaults and lunettes, the central one, and the lateral ones with edges.

The right side cover is decorated with a tile from the s. XVIII representing Santiago Matamoros and a Visigothic capital appears embedded in one of the corners of the temple. It is Gothic in terms of traces and execution and has undergone several transformations, most of them extensions. The building was profoundly remodeled after the Lisbon earthquake of 1755.

Also in 1785 works were carried out in the Church of Santiago, in that year a new baptismal chapel was built. In 1892 the tower was renovated, rising thirteen meters.

The tower was remodeled in 1892 rising thirteen meters and in 1938 the church was restored again.

Characteristic

The church of this new suburb would begin to be built at the beginning of the 16th century under the direction of Alonso Rodríguez, master master of the Cathedral of Seville. The building is made up of three naves, with various moments in the building currently visible. The original church from the 16th century seems to be preserved in the area at the head of the naves, covered with ribbed vaults. The central bodies, with barrel vaults, would already be from the Baroque period (17th century), although the building would undergo an important transformation after the Lisbon earthquake of 1755, being remodeled several times during the second half of the 18th century. After the 1936 coup d’état and the subsequent popular reaction, the church was set on fire, destroying part of the naves, which were restored in the following years by the architect Juan Talavera. Currently, the church houses various altarpieces and images dated between the 16th and 18th centuries. As a curious detail, in its exterior southwest corner (Sánchez Perrier street) there is a Corinthian-style capital of unknown origin. Read more…