Church of San Salvador (Granada) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Church of San Salvador |
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Iglesia de El Salvador
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Church exterior, with entrance portal and bell tower visible]
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| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Catholic |
| Year consecrated | 1499 |
| Location | |
| Location | Granada, Spain |
| Architecture | |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Architectural style | Mudéjar, Renaissance |
| Groundbreaking | 1565 |
| Completed | circa 1610 |
The Church of San Salvador (which means Church of the Savior in Spanish) is a very old and important church in Granada, Spain. You can find it in the historic Albaicín neighborhood, a famous part of the city. This church was built in the 1500s on the exact spot where the main mosque of the neighborhood used to be. Some parts of that old mosque are still part of the church today!
Contents
History of the Church
From Mosque to Church
Before the Church of San Salvador was built, a large mosque stood here. It was called the Great Mosque of the Albaicín. This mosque was built in the 1200s. Today, only its courtyard, with its special horseshoe arches, remains as part of the church. The mosque was quite big, measuring about 42 meters by 32 meters.
The mosque's prayer hall, which is now gone, had many aisles divided by rows of arches and marble columns. The central aisle was wider than the others. The courtyard used to have lemon trees. Across the street, there was even an Islamic primary school and a place for travelers to stay.
In 1492, the Catholic Monarchs of Spain took over Granada. The mosque stayed a mosque for a few more years. But in 1499, it was changed into a church. This happened even though there was an agreement that allowed people to keep their religion.
In 1501, it became a regular church for the area. This was part of a time when many people in Spain were encouraged to change their religion. In 1527, the church was given a special status to help teach the local people, called Moriscos, about the new religion.
Building the New Church
A completely new church building started to be built in the 1500s. First, new rooms and a side entrance were added. The new entrance was finished in 1543 by Esteban Sánchez, following plans by Diego Siloe, a famous architect.
In 1565, work began to replace the old mosque structure entirely. The first part built was the chancel, which is the area around the altar. It was finished in 1592. The church's bell tower was also completed around 1592. By the early 1600s, the rest of the mosque was taken down, and the new main part of the church, called the nave, was built.
Building the church took a long time. It was slowed down by a big rebellion in 1568 and then by many people leaving Granada. This meant the church was finished with a simpler design than first planned.
Challenges Over Time
The church faced many challenges over the centuries. In 1755, a big earthquake in Lisbon caused damage to the church. Because of this, the church's special college of priests had to move. In 1771, San Salvador stopped being a "collegiate church" and went back to being an important local church.
Sadly, in 1936, the church was almost completely destroyed by a fire during a time of unrest. Many of its beautiful artworks and furniture were lost. Reconstruction began in 1937 and continued for many years. The courtyard, which is mostly from the old mosque, was rebuilt in the 1950s. The front of the church was last restored in 1996.
Architecture of San Salvador
A Mix of Styles
The Church of San Salvador shows a mix of building styles. It combines the traditional Mudéjar style of Granada with the newer Renaissance architecture style. The Mudéjar style often uses brick and decorative plasterwork, while Renaissance style focuses on classical Roman and Greek designs. The church's final design was simpler than first planned because of the difficulties during its construction.
Inside the Church
The whole church building is shaped like a rectangle, about 30 meters wide and 53 meters long. The church has one main hall, called a nave. Before the nave, there's a courtyard, which was originally part of the mosque. This courtyard is about 30 by 19 meters and has arches on three sides.
The main nave itself is about 12 meters wide and 41 meters long. The chancel, where the altar is, is separated from the nave by a large arch. There are also two chapels on the sides and two closed chapels at the back. Other rooms, once used by the priests, are located along the side of the building near the main entrance.
Special Features
The ceiling of the nave was originally made of wood. But after the 1936 fire, it was replaced with cement vaults. The chancel's ceiling was also supposed to be stone, but it ended up being a simpler wooden one. Today, the ceiling there is a cement copy of the original.
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The main entrance portal on the northeast side is very old, dating back to 1543. It shows the fancy Granadan Plateresque style, which is a very detailed and decorative Renaissance style. This portal was restored in 1996. Above the door, there's a stone copy of a sculpture of the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus.
See also
In Spanish: Iglesia de El Salvador (Granada) para niños
