Jimena de la Frontera Church of la Misericordia

Church of la Misericordia

The Church of la Misericordia is located next to the Castle, in the Andalusian town of Jimena de la Frontera.

Originally called the Church of Santa María, it was built back in the 15th century. It could have been originally a mosque, since an excavation carried out in the temple found a wall structure that was given an Islamic attribution, although its location is older, since a praefurnium (feeding mouth of the oven) belonging to a pottery production oven of Turdetan origin from the 5th century BC.

Its activity persisted practically until the 18th century, coinciding with the change of headquarters to Santa María la Coronada. This change in turn meant a functional transformation of the building, which in 1700 was cited as a burial place and continued in 1818 as the headquarters of the Brotherhood of the Holy Sacrament.

The Church of Misericordia, which preserves its Renaissance door, consists of a single nave originally covered by a coffered ceiling that would be supported by the side walls and brick columns of the Ionic order. Just before the presbytery covered by a simple groined vault, a pointed toral arch is created.

It continued to be used as a place of worship until practically the 1920s.

In 1934 it was decided to remove its roof and the building was left open to the elements until a restoration work was planned in 1997, acquiring its current functionality as a multipurpose room.

Fuente: iaph