Guadix – Santa Ana Church

Guadix – Santa Ana Church

The Santa Ana Church is located in C/ del Recreo 1 (street), in the Andalusian town of Guadix, Granada province.

Although plainer, this church bears a clear structural seremblance to the Santiago parish church. It was built between 1520 and 1540, in substitution of an earlier mosque. The final work was completed over the following years by master mason Francisco Roldán and master carpenter Bartolomé Meneses.

The church was subsequently altered and enlarged with two right lateral chapels, the choir and an interesting small vault in front of the baptistery chapel. Important reinforcement works were carried out after 1940 and the two narrow windows in the presbytery were opened up.

The building was built with rubblework with brickwork borders. The elegant pointed arch arcades on the inside distribute the space into three naves and an eight sided chancel. The roofs are furnished with fine Mudejar ceilings, that of the chancel adorned with beautiful Mudejar interlaced woodwork.

On the exterior, the sober-style of the tower contrasts with the beauty of the lateral portal, a pioneering work of Guadix Renaissance style. This belonged to the earlier church and displays a clear relationship with the La Calahorra palace castle. The signature of the stonecutter can be seen to the right of the edge stone of the portal: maese iacobe. The frieze displays the emblems and coats of arms of the Spanish monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella, and underneath that of García de Quijada, the first bishop of Guadix. Outstanding among the carved images and paintings, most of which are modern, is one of Christ bound to a column, from the early 17^th century school of Pablo de Rojas.