Imposing 16th-century church - Nuestra Señora del Carmen 📷 Malaga – Spain

The city's architecture never ceases to amaze me, especially in the case of old buildings, churches, and parishes, and my desire to get to know the city thoroughly leads me to explore and find true relics steeped in history.

Of course, as is my custom, I often look closely at my friend the map to find new places I haven't visited yet, whether they are natural sites, parks, new streets, or historic buildings such as churches, the oldest of which have surprising architectural value.

While searching, I found a parish church in one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city, El Perchel, whose name seemed very familiar to me: Nuestra Señora del Carmen Parish Church. This virgin is highly venerated in the city, I don't know if as much as the patron saint of Malaga, but I have heard her name a lot, and it was when I arrived at the place that I learned about the history and antiquity of this place.

The exterior façade alone shows that it is a very old building, but one that is very well maintained. The church is located, as I said, in the El Perchel neighborhood, which is one of the oldest and most historic. There are no traces left of what it was in ancient times, as it was completely remodeled, but on La Serna Street you will find this very special church, which began its history in 1584, but of whose original construction nothing remains.

This is due to a major earthquake that struck the city a hundred years after its construction, and like so many other buildings, it suffered the consequences, but severely. Over time, there were many reconstructions and restorations, especially in the 18th century. In addition, like many other churches I have visited, this one also suffered the burning of convents and during the civil war it became a warehouse. For this reason, the restorations were repeated many times, until we arrived at what we see today.

The map also indicated that there was a convent nearby, which I have not yet visited. It is the convent of San Andrés, which also suffered all the vicissitudes of history during that period. If you would like more detailed information about this church, you can read more at this link.

The truth is that when I arrived, I was impressed by the imposing exterior façade, especially at the front, as that is what you can see at first glance, because there are other buildings and houses on either side. A small interior garden awaited me at the front with a few trees, and I finally reached the entrance where there were signs advertising the activities that take place there.

The details, drawings, and inscriptions at the entrance are beautiful, as are the arch and the wooden door. I always enjoy seeing such beautiful and enormous doors. The sun illuminated the front of the church in a special way, and it looked spectacular. Of course, the ceiling also had decorations, and although I had not yet seen the interior, I could already imagine a lot of art in this church.

Upon entering, the age of the place was noticeable, but I must emphasize that it is very well maintained and the lighting is perfect. The white walls highlight the golden frames surrounding the images of virgins, saints, and Christs. There are small and larger sculptures, but all in perfect harmony, without overloading the space.

Several things caught my attention, first of all the white, radiant altar with yellow and orange lights highlighting Our Lady of Carmen with the child in her arms at the top. But on either side of the altar I see more carved wooden doors, and they are beautiful. I took many photographs of the altar so you can see its delicacy and beauty.

But at the same time, the ceilings really impressed me. The workmanship is incredible, and the style is very refined, with extremely exquisite architecture. I tried to capture all the details in photographs, because there are many, and all aspects of the ceilings, because during the tour there are several domes, and they are all very beautiful.

The sculpture of a bird in the altar area is something I had never seen in another church, and it also caught my attention because of its beauty as art.

To one side of the altar was the baptismal font, in a specially prepared area.

And then on the right side of the church there were small chapels with railings in front, and what struck me most about the two of them was, once again, the ceilings, those beautiful domes with delicate and fine designs.

It was truly a privilege for me to visit this church, somewhat hidden within the neighborhood, but once you find this relic, it is worth taking the time to explore each of its spaces. It is one of the oldest churches in the city and has been through many things throughout history.

Thank you very much for joining me today. Best regards. See you soon.
Amonet.