One of the churches that has caught my attention, especially at first sight, is the Church of Santo Domingo de Guzmán, a temple from the 15th century.
Its exterior façade has always impressed me whenever I pass by the place, as it denotes its antiquity and a lot of history. That is why I decided to pay it a visit to see what it was like inside as well, without forgetting to admire its exterior construction.
Historically this church has also been known as the convent of Santo Domingo. Its construction dates back to the Christian conquest and medieval times.
What we see here is only a part of what was once the large building complex that today stands in the El Perchel neighbourhood, on the banks of the Guadalmedina River.
Around this church congregate the Brotherhood of the Humiliation, the Brotherhood of the Supper, the Brotherhood of the Sorrows of the Bridge, and the Congregation of Mena, all of which make their appearance during Holy Week.
The Confraternity of Our Lady of the Rosary is also located there, whose origins date back to the 15th century as well.
Although it was built in the aforementioned century, its splendour was achieved in the 17th century, when the convent was enlarged and reformed thanks to Friar Alonso de Santo Tomás.
This friar was bishop of the city and the square at the entrance of the church bears his name.
In that place and around the church there were in the past, many stylish houses, finely decorated with tiles that nowadays disappeared, but one of them remained, which is the house where the bishop Fray Alonso lived.
When he died, his remains were buried in that church, according to the custom of the time.
As for its exterior, the church is characterised by its very irregular shape, precisely because the houses that were around it were demolished and many of them became part of the church during the renovations.
For this reason, the architecture is divided into three naves separated by semicircular arches. It consists of cruciform pillars as it has to support the whole structure.
The decorations are very beautiful, made of leaves.
What most attracts my attention is the tower which, although it is not tall, is beautiful to look at and decorated with a weather vane in the shape of a boat.
On the outside there is a small chapel, very small, where at certain times the doors open, always with someone guarding the place, and you can see the Virgin of Our Lady of Sorrows.
This virgin has a very peculiar expression on her face, a deep sorrow, which I have never seen in any other sculpture of this type.
In order to find the chapel open, I went to the church on two different days to see the whole church.
The entrance to the church is through the main façade, which is inside the central nave. The age of the church is very noticeable, and although a lot of maintenance and reconstruction work has been carried out, at first glance you can see details that need to be restored on the external façade as well as on the internal façade.
Although it is not a modern style with sophisticated details, its beauty lies in its history and its antiquity, which is astonishing. Once and a thousand times I looked at that tower, I think it is the most beautiful thing.
The largest door facing the square is the main entrance to the church, but on the side, facing the river, there is another door where you can access other rooms such as an internal courtyard service and that are internally related to the church.
In conclusion, this immense church is made up of a group of attached buildings, most of which have two floors. And next to it there are other parochial dependencies, such as a large hall that brings together the other dependencies.
When I enter the interior I find myself in a place that breathes history, culture and a lot of art.
The first thing I see when I enter is this beautiful and gigantic painting, where the history of the Catholic Church is told. I was struck by its dimensions.
Then I was impressed to see from the end of the church the altar so illuminated with the big red curtain, it seemed that a sun was shining in that place and when I looked at the ceiling I could see another ancient but very architectural marvel, beautiful style and decoration. A great white vault with its gilded decorations attracted a lot of attention.
I started my tour on the left side of the church where I could first notice artwork, which reflected parts of the bible such as the baptism of Jesus Christ.
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Continuing on my tour, I noticed the Holy Family, a sculpture, and on both sides beautiful paintings of the Virgin Mary and Jesus. Their dimensions were important and they are perfectly preserved.
I noticed little lighting where there are works of art and that must be the reason.
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Again I admired the ceiling, and the higher I went, the more I could see the beautiful gilded details and the small windows at the top, through which the light came in.
At the end of this aisle is one of the many small chapels inside the church itself. In this case it belongs to the Santísimo Cristo del Perdón.
It is protected by railings, but I was able to take several photographs so that you could see the beauty and majesty not only of the sculptures but also of the decorations on the ceiling, a beautiful and very elaborate baroque style. I was really impressed by this part of the church.
The details inside the church are so many and all of them are beautiful, very well worked and preserved.
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I was also able to see a pulpit that, although it did not have great details, its antiquity was noticeable and it was equally beautiful.
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I arrived at the altar after passing by a small sculpture of a virgin and was again amazed by its lighting. More works of art, both paintings and sculptures, could be seen in that area.
Candelabras with long candles are the main decoration of the altar, which generates a lot of light.
I looked back and a large round window let in a beam of light that illuminated the altar from this spot.
The height of the church is considerable and the ceiling of the altar is a marvel, art and architecture generating more beauty.
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Continuing with the tour I came across another space where the last supper is represented, it is another of the places that captured my attention the most. And just that day there was a cameraman filming the place so I tried to take the best pictures I could, especially of the representation of that moment and of the virgin.
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Then, to my surprise, I came across another chapel. This one was almost completely in darkness, the oldest part of the church, because it had decorations that contrasted with the rest, from its columns, the style, the altar, the sculptures.
A lot of history and each sector of this small space with a maintenance, but preserving its own style and antiquity.
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One more chapel, also preserved behind bars with representations of the virgin and the moment of Christ's passion.
Most of the images and sculptures in the church are of saints of the Dominican order. Among them is Saint Martin de Porres from 2012. It is a sculpture made of cedar wood and polychrome oil painting, which in turn has a rosary from 1978, consisting of 15 mysteries.
There are also images of the Holy Virgin of the Rosary, Saint Catherine and Saint Vincent Ferrer.
For a long time in this church were the images or sculptures of the Dulce Nombre de Jesús Nazareno del Paso and María Santísima de la Esperanza, but they were later moved to their own temple.
When I visited this church I saw it above all as a very special place, as it dates back to the 15th century, and one breathes culture, history, a lot of art and architecture inside it.
Many tourists were in the place taking pictures like me and I could notice the importance given to it, it is not just another church but with a transcendental importance.
Thank you all very much for seeing and reading this far. I send you all a big hello and see you next time.
Amonet.
Separators created by me in Photoshop.
Used translator Deepl.com free version.
[//]:# (!pinmapple 36.71939 lat -4.42630 long Church of Santo Domingo de Guzmán 📷 Malaga - Spain d3scr)