Church of the Holy Cross

In the Plaza del Carmen in Valencia is the Church of the Holy Cross, one of the most important religious constructions in the city, especially for its artistic wealth both inside and outside, especially on the façade.

This building has enjoyed the title of National Historic-Artistic Monument since 1983 and is also considered an Asset of Cultural Interest of the city of Valencia.

The Church of the Holy Cross has a history that adds some confusion to its name. Initially it was known as the Church of the Carmen Convent. Its origin coincides with the arrival of the Carmelites to the city in 1280. Although its name was changed in 1842 when the parish church of the convent of Santa Creu moved to it due to the demolition of the original building, all Valencians have kept the name of Carmen Church.

However, there is a Holy Cross that can be admired presiding over the High Altar, next to altarpieces by the painter José Bellver Delmás that deal with the Exaltation of the Holy Cross and the Invention of the Holy Cross.

The Church of the Holy Cross is arranged in a rectangular floor plan, with a nave, with side chapels, barrel vault and diaphragm arches.

But if the interior combines paint and architecture in a sublime way, on the outside we are facing one of the best altarpiece facades in the entire city of Valencia.

This façade, which faces directly to Plaza del Carmen was built in two phases (during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries), with 3 bodies.

The first by Gaspar de Sent Martí, who presented 3 Ionic columns on each side of the door, with two niches that in 1961 received sculptures of San Simón Stok and San Juan de la Cruz. Above them, the coat of arms of the Order of Carmen is represented.

The other two bodies, by Juan Bautista Viñes and José Bonet, are more recharged. One of them presents the Virgin of Carmen with the Child held in her arms, next to niches with Saint Teresa of Jesus and Saint Magdalene of Pazzis. The other body features another sculpture with St. Joseph and the Child.

Externally also of interest is the bell tower, finished in the eighteenth century, with a square floor plan, mediopunto arch and an upper weather vane known as “the angel of Carmen”. Six bells ring from up there to the expectation of neighbors and tourists from the Valencian neighborhood of El Carmen.

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