Iglesia del Carmen

Perched at the top of an escarpment, he magnificent former monastery of the Calced Carmelite Order is now the headquarters of the ancient parish of Santa María La Mayor. Work on the church and the monastery that once stood alongside it is believed to have begun in the 16th century.

The site has a somewhat chaotic appearance due to the demolition of the monastery back in the 19th century. To the right of the façade can be seen a small belfry with a single recess, the only part of the bell tower to survive the demolition of El Gallo tower.

Although it does feature some variations, the building largely follows the model of the Moorish churches of Granada. It has a single nave, a choir with clearly defined spaces and a series of side chapels that are independent to each other.

The choir with its three huge altarpieces is a majestic piece of architecture, the highlight of which is the central or main altarpiece, decorated with a host of figures with links to the Carmelite Order, and widely regarded, due to its beauty and symbolic importance, as one of the finest of Andalusia´s 18th-century Baroque altarpieces.