Parish Church of El Salvador

In 1534, the plans of the Church El Salvador were signed and the works started two years later. In 1600, the works ended precipitously, leaving the building unfinished as it remains nowadays. The tower was completed in the middle of the XVIII century.

In 1571 the temple was officially opened after the Holy Sacrament was moved from the Church La Soledad, the most ancient parish of Caravaca de la Cruz.

This church represents one of the most beautiful and interesting samples of the Renaissance architecture of Murcia, being a fundamental part of Caravaca’s monumental complex. It consists of a hall floor plan with four lonian-style ribbed columns (almost two metres diameter each), supporting at a great height the gothic cross-ribbed domes. It has seven lateral chapels in the lateral naves, three in the Epistola nave and four in the Evangelio nave, that form outwardly the first building section and it was paid by several of the local noble families. The temple possesses two sacristies that flank the main chapel. On the left, there is the old sacristy with a beautiful umbrella dome, on the right, the current sacristy.

In the main chapel is the high altar reredos by Jose Saez, from the dissolved church of the Jesuits.

Among the builders we can mention Pedro and Martin de Homa, Pedro de Antequera, Pedro and Andres Monte, Damian Pla and Miguel de Madariaga.

More worth seeing works that we can find in the church are: the sculptures of La Dolorosa by the Salzillo school, El Cristo del Prendimiento and San Pascual Bailon by Marcos Laborda disciple of Salzillo and La Piedad by Roque Lopez, in addition to the Neapolitan statues of San Jeronimo and Santa Isabel. The outstanding grilles, which confine some of the lateral chapels, were made by Gines Garcia in the early XVII century.

The Parish Church El Salvador was declared a National Cultural Interest Asset in 1983.

Church opening hours: From 11.00 to 13.30 and from 17.00 until after the evening Mass.

Mass times:

From 15 September to 6 May: Monday to Friday: 19:00; Saturdays: 8.30 and 19:00; Sundays: 12:00 and 19:00 until 5 May.
From 6 May to 14 September: Monday to Friday: 8.00 pm; Saturdays: 8.30 am and 8.00 pm; Sundays: 12.00 pm and 8.00 pm.

Coordinates: Latitude 38.108389 Longitude -1.860806