Iglesia prioral de Santa María

This church is Carmona’s finest example of religious architecture. It is built on the site of the main mosque, from which it retains the ablution patio. The real importance of this architectural site lies in the Christian church, which was conceived in keeping with Andalusian late-Gothic aesthetics.

The church has a square ground plan, three naves, and chapels situated between the side buttresses. Construction was carried out in two stages during the 15th and 16th centuries. The first stage ended with the choir, and Diego de Riaño played an important role in the second. Remaining from the Baroque period are the Puerta del Sol and the Sacramental Chapel. Work on the tower was begun in the 16th century and completed in the 19th century. The capital and the clock were donated by Carlota Quintanilla.

Visigothic liturgical calendar engraved on one of the courtyard column shafts. The main altarpiece, produced in 1563 by Juan Bautista Vázquez, displays reliefs portraying scenes from the life of Jesus, intercalated with images of the Virgin Mary. The main sacristy is interesting not only for its architecture but also for the artistic treasures it contains. The gold and silver work kept here includes a processional monstrance made by Francisco Alfaro between 1579 and 1584.

Romanesque statue of the Virgin of Grace, the town’s patroness. The ante-sacristy contains an Immaculate Conception sculptured by Pedro Duque Cornejo in 1724. The lierne vault of the cupola over the fourth span of the central nave.