Church Santa María de Gracia

Located at the top of the village, in the old street known as El Porche, today a street dedicated to Don Juan de Dios Corrales Gálvez, parish priest of the church for fifty-three years; in what was once a small chapel or private oratory of the Counts of Gelves, today stands this beautiful baroque church whose origins date back to the 16th century.

The first news of the existence of a church in the town of Gelves comes from the “Libro blanco de la Catedral de Sevilla”, written by the racionero Diego Martínez in 1411, in which it is specified that “the churches of Palomares and Gelves form a single benefice”. However, we have to wait until the 16th century to be able to enjoy the current Parish Church.

This building was commissioned by the first Count of Gelves, Don Jorge Alberto de Portugal, at the request of his wife, from 1539, the date on which he wrote his will and where it is stated that he contributed 2000 gold ducats for its construction; although given the early death of the Count, it is likely that it was started and supervised by his first-born son.

The church of Santa María de Gracia, in Baroque and Neoclassical style (due to the major restoration carried out in the 18th century), has a Latin cross plan, consisting of a single nave, rectangular in plan, with a transept and side chapels attached to its left side, the right side being made up of niches.

Beneath the church there is a magnificent crypt built on four columns that support nine vaults and which houses the mortal remains of Eleanor of Milan, Countess of Gelves, (who became famous for her patronage of poets and artists), as well as of some other Admirals of the Indies, whose remains are buried in the Crypt of the Parish.

Finally, the nave is crowned with a half-orange dome on pendentives, which shows the ducal coats of arms, which we will talk about later. The building has half-barrel vaults, with the exception of the transept, as we have already mentioned.

It is worth mentioning the frescoes inside the church. Those located in the Main Chapel decorate the entire arch, covering the wall on which the High Altarpiece stands. They feature plant and symbolic motifs. On the panel on the Gospel side, there is an oval with the town’s coat of arms, a cypress tree and, above it, a kind of tabernacle or shrine. And underneath, a sibyl or Saint Anne.

On the Epistle side, the image of the Good Shepherd, with his staff and sheep, and above it, another shrine similar to the previous one. In the central medallion, on the High Altarpiece itself, a kind of military camp with its tent is depicted.

Within these frescoes, the heraldic coats of arms displayed on the pendentives of the dome, belonging to the house of Columbus (on the left) and the house of Portugal (on the right), both belonging to the house of Columbus of Portugal, Count of Gelves, are particularly striking. In the keystone of the vault, the coat of arms of Don Pedro Nuño Colón de Portugal can be seen, with the legend: A Castilla y a León nuevo mundo dio Colón, emphasising the link of the ducal house, in its genealogy, to the discoverer of the New World, and to the Dukes of Veragua; as well as its patronage in the construction of the church.

It has two entrances, both in the Mannerist style: the one located at the foot of the transept is known as the Perdón door, lintelled with cushioned pilasters and a straight pediment; while the one located on the right side, which gives access to the porch, is known as the Baptism door, also lintelled and flanked by pilasters, but topped with a broken pediment, above which there is an attic with a beautiful tile in blue tones, dated 1948.

The exterior of the church of Santa María de Gracia is baroque in style and extremely austere, with its 17th century tower standing out, with two sections topped by a spire that is somewhat small for its dimensions. Three bells hang from its bell tower: Santa María de Gracia (popularly known as the “Tin”), Santa Beatriz, which is not used, and Ntra. Sra. de la Salud (known as the “Tan”). Later, in 1889, the clock of the bell tower was acquired thanks to the financial contribution made by the town.

Thanks to the patronage of the Counts, who were the great patrons of the church, the original structure was extended in the middle of the 17th century. Today, as we see it today, it corresponds to the Baroque structure, as in the 18th century it already appears as a parish of and pending from the Vicariate of Seville; important reforms were carried out between 1766 and 1767, a period in which the funerary vaults and floors were built, as well as the main doorway.

In 1786, the master builder of the Archbishopric of Seville, Antonio Figueroa, presented a report on the temple, granting a letter of payment for the value of 138 reales. It was in the 18th century when the church underwent its greatest transformation, going from a rectangular floor plan with the division of the space into three naves oriented, geographically, from west to east, and with the cemetery adjacent to the church on the left flank, to a magnificent building with a single nave in the shape of a Latin cross and oriented from north to south with an underground pantheon.

Almost all the constructive and decorative elements of the church date from this century. Among them we can highlight the balcony and the grille, which overlooks the Main Chapel, on the Epistle wall, a place reserved for the Counts so that they could attend the Holy Offices from a privileged place.

In 1949, important works were carried out in the parish church, and the upper floors were decorated with mural paintings by José López Martínez, with allegories of the Virgin, the Ivory Tower and the Gate of Heaven, among other Marian titles.

In 1974, new works were carried out and the roofs of the church were restored.

Of particular note in the church is the sumptuous high altar from the mid-18th century, the work of José Fernando de Medillina and his son, José Francisco, which replaced the old one commissioned by the 1st Count of Gelves. It was ordered to be built in 1731 by the Duchess of Veragua, Dª Catalina León de Portugal, at a cost of 8,000 reales.

Its Baroque structure consists of a bench, a body divided into three sections by stipites and an attic.

The bench is decorated with a beautiful tile depicting The Annunciation, a work by local artist Emilio Fernández Sevilla made in the 20th century. On both sides of the altar there are two double doors that give access to the sacristy (former workshop).

In the body, on the left side, there is a 17th century figure of Saint Francis of Assisi and a medallion with the relief of Saint John the Baptist. In the central street and on both sides of the tabernacle are the 18th century images of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, above which is the chapel of the patron saint of the town, the Virgin of Grace, who presides over the altarpiece as a candlestick image.

It is an image of an unknown author, but according to experts, it could belong to the circle of Duque Cornejo, possibly from the 17th century. The image of the Virgin is flanked by the 17th century images of Saint Anne and Saint Joachim. The altarpiece is crowned at its upper ends with two scrolls joined to two panels, and the scrolls, in turn, support two cherubs.

Next, and going up the main street, we can see a painting of the Virgin of Bethlehem, and above this we have the Manifestador with the image of San Juan Bautista, from the 17th century. On the street to the right, we can see a 17th century sculpture of Saint Anthony of Padua, and above it another medallion with a relief of Saint Joseph.

In the central part of the attic, there is a relief of the Virgin to the Heavens and on both sides two medallions with the images of Saint Catherine and Saint Barbara, all three of which are contemporary with the altarpiece. The stipes are topped by scrolls supporting angels, which in turn carry a flowered jug on their heads.

In front of the High Altar hang three silver lamps dating from the beginning of the 17th century, the end of the same century and the beginning of the following century.

In the Gospel Wall, the Sacramental Chapel or Tabernacle opens, which has an altarpiece from the middle of the 18th century, decorated with rocaille motifs, and with images representing the Immaculate Conception, of a certain interest; the Infant Jesus and Saint Francis of Paula, and a Saint Nicholas, made of clay, from the 18th century.

The pulpit, with wooden medallions, and a Crucified Christ, also from the 18th century.

Further on, there is a neoclassical altarpiece, the Cristo de la Veracruz, an image of the baroque Veracruz Christ, of anonymous autograph but dated in the 17th century, 26th April 1544; this document is preserved on parchment, with ornamental initials and a miniature with the Cross.

The next altar is dedicated to the Virgen de los Reyes, the work of the Carmona-born artist Francisco Buiza and commissioned by the landowner Pedro Ciaurriz Benítez, around 1940. The image presides over a neoclassical altarpiece with a single body and attic.

Next to it is an altar with the Virgen de los Dolores, a candelabra image, original by the sculptor Antonio Joaquín Dubé de Luque, with a very expressive face in its sorrow. There is another interesting tile on the altar bench, the work of the aforementioned local artist Emilio Fernández Sevilla.

In the background, the painting of the Ánimas Benditas can be seen, a reproduction of the old original which was sold by the former parish priest to Antonio Alarcón, professor of painting in Seville, who undertook to execute an identical copy. This copy has aroused the interest of contemporary specialists who, believing it to be the original, have identified it as a possible work by Murillo.

In the Baptismal Chapel of 1926, there was an altarpiece of the baptism of the Lord with Baroque motifs. It currently houses an image of the Immaculate Conception, inside a central urn on a gilded altarpiece. The white marble baptismal font dates from the early 17th century, and Joselito “El Gallo”, a bullfighter born in Gelves in 1895, was baptised in it.

In the transept, just to the side of the Epistle, we can admire an interesting and monumental canvas depicting Saint Christopher, an original by the Roman painter Horacio Borgianni (C. 1578-1616), which we can date to around 1604-1606. It is influenced by the Italian painter Michelangelo A. Caravaggio (1573-1610), with violent foreshortenings and contrasts of light and shadow. It must have been a gift from the Counts to the church, of which, as we have already mentioned, they were patrons.

Very close by is the interesting altarpiece dedicated to the Virgin of the Rosary, which had its own chapel at the beginning of the 18th century, belonging to the second third of the same century. It is decorated with beautiful allegorical motifs, as well as the effigies of the two popes who promoted the cult and devotion to the Rosary. In the side streets, there are images of Santo Domingo de Guzmán and San Tomás de Aquino, from the same period.

The Virgin, a candelabra or dress image, is of this form, from the 18th century, and enjoyed great devotion from this town, as can be seen in the granting of privileges that this altar had; on the front of the bench, this devotion can also be seen in three beautiful medallions, which represent the Coronation of the Virgin, in the center, and on the sides, the Prayer in the Garden and the Crucifixion of Christ. Faith and devotion also paid for its gilding, as can be seen on the lower part of the right pilaster.