Turisme d’Elx :: Monuments

The Basilica de Santa María occupies the site of the former principal mosque of Muslim Elche. The mosque was left standing after the conquest of the city by Jaume I in 1265, until 1334 when the first Catholic church, probably Gothic in style and in the shape of a cross, was built, standing until 1492.
The Mystery Play is believed to have been performed for the first time in the above church, requiring the construction of a ramp, a stage and a cupola-shaped or arched false ceiling, common to the Assumption dramas of the period.
The second, larger, church built on the site was finished in 1556. However, it collapsed in 1672 due to torrential rains. An extant description of the church by Cristóbal Sanz of 1621 says that: “ The church where this Celebration takes place, is the main church. It has been built for this purpose because it is very big and has only one aisle. It is so high that it causes vertigo and astonishment among strangers. It would appear that Our Lady holds it up because it is there that her death and Assumption is celebrated. Nowhere in the whole of Christendom does there exist another edifice like this church which was finished in 1556 according to what can be seen inscribed thereon”.
Work on the present church began in 1672 under the direction of Francesc Verde, who was succeeded as master builder by Pere Quintana y Ferrán Fouquet. From 1758 onwards work continued under the direction of architect Marcos Evangelio who made important contributions. The church was finished in 1784.
Different arquitectural styles can be easily distinguished. First, we can observe an attempt to introduce ornamentation. Chronologically, the last style is pure Neoclassical which followed the decorative Italianate Baroque which we can see in the Assumption façade, one of the most beautiful façades from the Valencian Baroque period. Both this façade and the portico of San Agatángelo are the work of the Strasburg-born sculptor Nicolas de Bussi (1680-1682).