The Temple and Tower of Santa Catalina is an Asset of Cultural Interest and is located in Plaza Santa Catalina, in the heart of the city of Valencia.

This church was built over an earlier mosque and by 1245 had acquired the rank of parish.

Initially the construction style of the Church of Santa Catalina was Gothic, with a single nave and side buttresses in which the chapels were placed. Although there were more Valencian Gothic churches, this is the only one that, like the cathedral, had an ambulatory at its head.

However, the passage of the years and certain events that have occurred during all this time, have caused profound changes in the building.

First of all, it proceeded with a rehabilitation in the sixteenth century, in order to better adapt the Church of Santa Catalina to the Renaissance style. However, a fire in 1548 destroyed much of the infrastructure that was only partially rebuilt.

In 1785 another transformation took place, this time to adapt the Baroque style to its architectural appearance.

Finally, in 1950 repristinación works were carried out in order to restore something of its original Gothic appearance, so any baroque and neoclassical twinkling was eliminated in the walls.

In addition to these changes in architectural style, the Church of Santa Catalina also has some elements included later. The bell tower is one of them.

This characteristic construction took place between 1688 and 1705 and was the work of Juan Bautista Viñes. In homage to the artist, his name is engraved on a tombstone present at his base.

This bell tower has a hexagonal shape and a considerable height of four floors that are separated by mouldings. In addition, it also has the body of the bells and the top finish.

It has several remarkable elements, such as pilasters, the decoration of its windows or the bells themselves, cast in London in 1729 and accompanied later by a clock still visible today on its eastern face.



Dades bàsiques

Direcció:

Plaza de Santa Caterina, s/n
46001 Valencia