The Church of Santos Juanes has many denominations among Valencians. There are those who identify it as the Royal Parish of Santos Juanes and who refer to it as the Church of San Juan del Mercado, in relation to its location in the Plaza del Mercado.

It is a Catholic church declared an Asset of Cultural Interest and a National Historic-Artistic Monument.

Its privileged location, its historical importance and the magnitude of its architecture and decoration, make it one of the most important churches in the entire city of Valencia, as well as one of the most visited.

The style that was originally conferred on the Church of Santos Juanes is that of a Valencian Gothic structure. From this it is still possible to identify its nave and the large blinded occulus, which is popularly known as the “O of San Juan”, an enormous rose window that appears on its façade.

The Church of Santos Juanes could not keep its original infrastructure intact, because in 1592 it suffered a major fire that required an almost total reconstruction of the entire building. The works lasted during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

Today the most remarkable thing about this church is its façade, of a rare amplitude in its style. It is conceived as an enormous and beautiful stone altarpiece, which constitutes the main attraction of the entire Plaza del Mercado, forming with it an urban complex that has become a tourist destination par excellence in Valencia.

Some of the most remarkable elements of the Church of Santos Juanes are: the sculpture of the Virgin of the Rosary in stucco, created by artist Jacopo Bertesi: the clock tower with the two Santos Juanes; and the weather vane, known as the "sparrow of San Juan", which is traditionally said to have made children look, when they were abandoned in the square by their humble parents.

In the lower part of the terrace there are some semi-basements very traditional in the historical Valencian culture, which are known as "the covetes de Sant Joan" and which were formerly used as chatarrerías.

The interior stands out for its magnificent Baroque decoration, protruding statues of Bertesi, which are representing characters from the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Along with them, Antonio Palomino's frescoes in the vault also stand out.



Dades bàsiques

Direcció:

Plaza del Mercado, s/n
46001 Valencia