The route of Faith
ONE WALK BY THE CHURCHES OF ALCALÁ
This route starts at the Hermitage of San Roque so we will have to walk up a slope to reach its doors. Besides appreciating the elements own of this hermitage we can contemplate some incredible views from Alcalá.
We will go down by the same road to get to our following stop, the Church of Our Lady of the Eagle (Santa María del Águila), that crowns the hill, crossing the (poor) quarter of San Miguel, key element for the development of the soleá of Alcalá, since here Joaquín el de la Paula was born.
The following stop is Santiago (St. James') Church, and to get to it we will go down through Santa María slope passing by San Jose Villa, present School of Languages and by the Ibarra House, an example of middle-class or seigniorial architecture, created by the hygienist current that took place in Alcalá.
Once at the Plaza del Derribo, we will be right in front of the Santiago's (St. James') Church.
The Church of San Sebastián will be our next destiny, and to reach it we will take Santa María del Águila Street crossing Alcalá's downtown.
To end this route we will have the option of buying sweets and cakes at the Convent of Santa Clara in the Alcalá y Ortí Street.
| What do I need to know? |
| Parking |
Avda. de Portugal or C/ San Francisco |
| Bus Stop |
Line A - Avda. de Portugal |
| Nearest Café |
Hotel Oromana or La Centenaria C/ Ntra. Sra. del Águila (C/ La Mina) |
| Description of the route on foot |
Ascending to San Roque, rise through the suburb of San Miguel and down by C / Santa Maria city center. |
Point N 1: San Roque (St. Rocco)
It is the hermitage of the Fraternity of Our Nazarene Father Jesus and Our Lady of Help. Indispensable for the most emblematic event of the present Holy Week of Alcalá, the climb to the Calvary of the Nazareno in the early morning of the Maundy Thursday: starting at the church of Santiago, He goes over downtown streets and reaches at dawn the Carlos III Bridge.
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It is located on the hill of Oromana pine forest, popularly known as the Calvary, in the bank of the River Guadaíra.
It has its origin in the Via Crucis that started from the convent of San Francisco.
It was founded in 1570 and rebuilt in 1886. San Roque (St. Rocco) was another one of the protective saints of the Middle Ages, considered protector from the Plague.
The structure of the hermitage is of a single nave restored in the 19th century.
The Main Chapel is covered by a groined vault. In its inside San Roque's images are kept and venerated. The image of Nuestra Señora de Belén (Our Lady from Bethlehem) is dated from ca. 1570.
The fact that the Holy Week of Alcalá had been declared of National Tourist Interest is related to this hermitage, as each early morning of Good Friday, it is a secular tradition the Jesús Nazareno's climb to the Calvary.
It is also a main figure in the climb of the Epiphany Parade of Alcalá.
Point N 2: Church of Santa María del Águila (Our Lady St Mary of the Eagle)
Mudejar Church from the 14th century, it houses the town's Patroness image. It was the first and only Parish of Alcalá until the founding of San Miguel.
Our following stop is the Medieval Castle. Before getting to the castle we could stop at the viewpoint to contemplate the views of the Dragon Bridge.
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The temple is located in the old Medieval Village of Alcalá, crowning the hill in which the castle rises up. Its origins date back from the 14th centuries, being initially built on the probable place of an Islamic mosque, which would coincide with the surface of the present-day nave of the Epistle, at a later time christianized after the conquest by King San Fernando in 1276.
We have to highlight the mural painting of International Gothic style in the before mentioned nave, made with a mixed technique of tempera and fresco, depicting Saint Matthew, Alcalá's Saint Patron, when giving his Gospel St. James, who was in charge of spreading the doctrine in Spain.
The Church has three naves of different width, divided in five sections by pillars that support ogival arches. The roofs are wooden, decorated with glazed tiles, which were made by the middle of this century.
The presbytery, of polygonal floor-plan, is high over the rest of the Church, and is covered up by a beautiful groined vault of twelve groins or arrises, which rest on eight pilasters with carved capitals.
The main entrance door is Gothic with ogival arch and the lateral one is Neoclassical with a brick staircase.
At the outside we find an exempt tower 28 metres high and 7 metres of base; this tower up to the bell level would be the minaret of the former mosque. The last body is of Mudejar style, crowned by a terrace roof with battlements.
Point N 3: Santiago (St. James') Church
Its foundations date back from 1500; it has Gothic plan with three naves covered with groin vaults. Another part is Neoclassical from the 18th century.
The most outstanding elements are the paintings of its altarpieces.
During our way to the following stop at Santa María del Águila, we can find exemplary views of Alcalá.
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This church is in front of the square known as "Del Derribo".
It is important because of its architectonic characteristics. It is made up by three naves. The oldest one is the one of the ante-presbytery (which makes us think about the closer Renaissance) and both sections in each of the side naves. The coffered vault dates back from the 16th century of the Main Chapel.
The naves of the body of the Church date back from the 18th century.
On July 19, 1936 the church caught fire, being Mr. Juan de Talavera, Sevillian architect, the person in charge of the reconstruction works. The fire caused the loss of the last three sections of the central nave, the works of art the Church had (The Main Altarpiece outstood) and the roof.
Route inside the Church beginning for the right-hand nave:
- Side Chapel to the right, Capilla del Rosario or Chapel of Our lady of the Rosary.
- Low Chorus, meeting place of the canons for the prayer of the Divine Office.
- Parish priests' room, tithe barn, place where collections were gathered.
- Chapel of Jesus from Nazareth (Capilla de Jesús el Nazareno).
- Milagrosa's altar (Virgin of the Miracles), where there is an altarpiece from the 16th century.
- Altar de la Inmaculada, Immaculata's Altar.
- Main Altar (or altar of the Main Chapel) from the 18th century. The Tabernacle is from the 17th century. The image that dominates the Main Altar is attributed to Montañés.
- Altar of the Sacred Heart (del Sagrado Corazón).
- Altar of the Blessed Souls (de las Ánimas).
- Altar of St Joseph (San José).
Point N 4: St. Sebastián's Church
It is a Mudejar building of three naves and trough-shaped roofs, with side chapels. We highlight its beautiful belfry and all the artistic creation by Pineda Calderón.
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It has been dated from the end of 15th century and restored in the 18th and 19th centuries. Some of the elements to be taken in account are, for example, the High Altarpiece by Pineda Calderón with canvas by Enrique Blanco and Sebastián Santos's Inmaculata.
Pineda Calderon is the greatest main protagonist at this building. He had already before 1936 participated in its chapels' pictorial decoration, and also in restoring several images.
The Main Chapel Altarpiece is also a work made by this versatile artist. It is wood-carved and gilded. We highlight in it the canvas depicting St. Sebastian's Martyrdom, which follows baroque models (pierced with arrows and tied to a tree),a work made by Enrique Blanco Gavira in 1954.
His hands also gave shape to the image of Our Father Jesus the Captive (Nuestro Padre Jesús El Cautivo), to Our Lady of Hope (Nuestra Señora de la Esperanza) and to Our Lady of the Sorrows (Nuestra Señora de los Dolores), all of them placed in the chapel with the same name, the Chapel of the Sorrows.
At the Chapel of the souls we find the image of the Santísimo Cristo del Amor (Holy Christ of Love) that belongs to the Fraternity of Amargura (Bitterness) and Saint John Evangelist, both of this same Fraternity.
The Chapel of Our Lady of the Sweet Name (Nuestra Señora del Dulce Nombre) and the one of the Holy Burial (Santo Entierro) also have representative images of the work of this author.
The pictorial decoration of the faces, pillars, arches, pendentives and vault of the Main Chapel is carried out by him with the assistance of Manuel Silva.
Route inside of the Church beginning at the right nave:
- Nuestra Señora del Dulce Nombre (Our Lady of the Sweet Name)
- Nuestra Señora de las Ánimas (Our Lady of the Souls)
- Main Chapel
- Tabernacle and Inmaculata Chapel
- Chapel of Servita Fraternity and Virgen de los Dolores (Our Lady of Sorrows).
Mass Timetable:
- MO to SA: 20.30 H
- SU: 11, 12 and 20.30 H
- Open the whole evening from 17.30 to 21 H
Point N 5: Convent of Santa Clara
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This convent started to be inhabited in 1567, helping the town council to its construction with 2,000 ducats.
One of the main functions of this convent was Sor María de Jesús's procession in November 1737; her image was brought from the Oratory of don Manuel Jiménez, in Seville. Today, it is still kept in the Communion Rail.
The par excellence sweets are: Suspiros (sighs), cañotes, corazones de almendra (hearts of almond), bonbons, mantecados, bizcochos (sponge cakes), trufas (truffles), yemas (yolks)...
Mass Timetable: Mondays at 20:00h
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