Stunning beauty with its neo-Gothic style – Sacred Heart Church 📷 Malaga – Spain

In a small square in the heart of the historic city centre, surrounded by restaurants, art museums and many tourist attractions, stands this architectural beauty. I think it is the one that has amazed me the most with its exterior façade and moved me with its interior.

I have walked down this street many times, mainly because street Compañía is the same street where the Thyssen Museum and the El Ateneo art gallery are located, and it eventually leads to Constitution Square. I have seen this church many times and have been fascinated just by looking at its exterior façade. But every time I passed by, it was closed to the public and I didn't have the opportunity to see it completely. Even the gates were closed, and I couldn't even see the exterior up close.

And every time I passed by, I was enchanted. There was something about that church that caught my attention. Of course, its neo-Gothic style was evident, and the amount of work and detail in each of the decorations make it one of the most beautiful churches in Malaga.

It dates back to 1920, and so far I have seen few or no churches of this style in the city, but it amazes me, not only because of the amount of detail in the Gothic style, but also because of the design itself. I tell you, every time I pass by, I stop and look at it, and at first I didn't even know its name.

This time, I was prepared and, having checked the opening hours, I went to visit this wonderful work of art. I always say that, beyond the religious aspect, I am interested in the artistic side, and in this case, it is amazing. I looked at every corner of the façade, capturing its beauty as the sunlight illuminated it perfectly.

The architect of this building was Fernando Guerrero Strachan, who was commissioned by the Jesuits. But if you want to know more about this formidable church, here is some information. What struck me was that all the paintings in the stained-glass windows are Gothic in style and belong to the artist Apolo Párkinson Molinari.

Of course, one of the most striking things upon entering is the entrance door, whose woodwork I always admire, but this is the first time I have seen stained glass windows in them, which are very detailed and beautiful.

Next to the entrance door, I found a lot of art, including a sculpture of Christ of the Good Death, carved in wood and dating from 1940, a beautiful giant oyster where holy water is placed, and paintings high up with beautiful lamps on either side.

I was also able to find some information about the place. The church was damaged by fire in 1931 and restoration began in 1937. The church was renovated in 2010 thanks to donations and the Society of Jesus. There was even a large board with a lot of information about the construction, its parts, the style, the artists who participated and the different images, paintings and sculptures in it.

The interior had an emotional impact on me because, for some reason, perhaps because of its shape or layout, as well as the large organ in the upper area, it reminded me a lot of the church at the school I attended in my childhood and adolescence, belonging to María Auxiliadora. Despite the great differences, for some reason it took me back to that place and that time and brought back many memories.

As I walked around the church, Gregorian music or something similar was playing in the background, which made the visit very special. There was a great sense of peace in the place.

There are two things I have to point out that I loved, or rather three: the light coming through the stained glass windows, the stained glass windows themselves, also called vitraux, and the organ area.

My eyes couldn't stop looking up as the sunlight came in from my left through the beautiful artistic stained glass windows and illuminated the entire right side, creating light but with colours, which I found very magical and special. Although there was artificial lighting, especially near the images and the altar, the sunlight coming through those stained glass windows was magnificent.

On the other hand, the stained glass windows and rose windows, like those on the doors, are absolute works of art in themselves and were made by the Maumejean brothers' workshops in Paris. There are also decorations made by them near the organ.

I think that organ is what brought back so many memories for me, as it is located in the upper area, just like in my school church. According to the information I found about it, it is electrically powered and has two keyboards and a pedalboard, with two stops for the pedal, five for the first keyboard and another five for the second. I found this information and more when I entered the church on the board.

Each image was harmoniously placed with the surroundings and in the background with round stained glass windows in a synchronised artistic composition.

There is the tomb of Blessed Tiburcio Arnaiz, who died in 1926, and on the right side of the altar, that space is dedicated to him, along with his image and beautiful decorations, alongside other images.

The altar area is very beautiful, adorned with details, from the columns, paintings, sculptures and much more. As the towers are so high, looking at the walls in such detail is dazzling.

The ceiling area above the altar is majestic.

And the ceiling in general has a unique shape and style. Although it has no paintings, its architecture is a great work of art.

Everywhere I looked, there was art, lighting, style, beauty, good taste, and details and more details typical of the Gothic style.

And I firmly believe that it was the organ combined with the stained glass windows that made me fall in love with this great work. The entire church is a great work of art, and there are almost no words to describe the feeling of being there.

I hope I have conveyed something of what I experienced in that church. Thank you very much for joining me today. Best regards. See you soon.
Amonet.