Montilla – San Juan de Ávila Basilica

San Juan de Ávila Basilica

The San Juan de Ávila Basilica (Minor Pontificial Basilica) is located at C/ Corredera (street) 23A in the Andalusian town of Montilla, Córdoba province.

The old Incarnation Church and later San Juan de Ávila Sanctuary was elevated to the category of minor basilica by decree Title Basilicae Minoris dated June 20, 2012, signed by the Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments, the Spanish Cardinal Antonio Cañizares Llovera.

The basilica is dedicated to San Juan de Ávila (Saint John of Ávila), patron saint of the spanish secular clergy and doctor of the Church since October 2012, and his remains are housed htere, kept in the “Ark of the Testamente”.

San Juan de Ávila, Master of Saints was canonized by S.S. Pablo VI on May 31, 1970. He had beed beatified by Leon XIII on April 15, 1894 and declared by Pio XII on July 2, 1946 Patron of the Spanish Secular Clergy.

On September 27, 1949, his relics were transferred to the transept of this church, completed at the expense of Don Francisco de Alvear, Count of Cortina and selemnly consecrated the day before.

On the occasion of his canonization, the body of the new saint kept in and urn offered by the people of Montilla was placed in the altarpeice of this main chapel with the assistance of SS. AA. RR. Don Juan Carlos and Doña Sofía, princes of Spain on June 11, 1970.

Bust of San Juan de Ávila in a marble “templete”, was on the “Ark of jasper” with hes body from the middle of the s. XIX until 1949, on the lateral wall of the side of the epistle of the old “Iglesia de la Encarnación” (popularly known as “San Francisco”.

“Wooden box” which, introduced in turn in the “Jasper urn”, contained the body of Blessed Juan de Ávila, from 1894 to 1949 in the old “Incarnation Church”.

Schedules as of 20/02/2022

Montilla Town Hall