Church of the Holy Martyrs Ciriaco and Paula 📷 Malaga - Spain

I must confess that when I saw this church from the outside I never suspected what I would see inside. The awe was very great, so great that it gave me chills as soon as I entered. Absolutely breathtaking.

As I got to know its history I realised why I had been so impressed.

The Church of the Holy Martyrs is one of the four churches that the Catholic Monarchs ordered to be built after 1487, after the reconquest of Spain. It is located in the square of the Martyrs, in the centre of the city.

This emblematic place was built in honour of two martyrs, Ciriaco and Paula, who are also the patron saints of the city of Malaga.

Being so old, with more than 500 years of history, the church has been reformed several times. These reforms were due to the fact that the building has suffered a great deal from earthquakes, destruction, collapses and also different problems caused by the ground on which it is built, where underground river currents and a very clayey soil passed through.

In the beginning, the church had a Gothic and Mudejar style, with many details of the Rococo style of the 18th century.

During the renovations, the exterior maintained the original style, but it was the interior that was remodelled rather than remodelled.

Several brotherhoods gather in this church during the Holy Week festivities. Various corporations and associations also reside in this church.

The great work of restoration of this marvellous temple was carried out between 2020 and 2021.

When I admired the exterior of the temple, I saw a lot of simplicity, mostly stone and brick in sight and what stands out the most is its large and beautiful square tower in its structure where inside there is a staircase.

It was very difficult to take pictures of the exterior, because the streets were very narrow and did not allow a great view of such a marvellous church.

The brick used was typical of the style of the time when the construction of the church began, the Mudejar style.

The church can be entered from two places, both of which conserve much of the old style, brick, stone, columns and arches.

In the larger entrance mural there is a large mosaic commemorating the martyrs Ciriaco and Paula, together with the coat of arms of the city. In this part I was very struck by the fluted columns.

Another surprising thing was the wooden door with an impressive wood carving work, I got very close to see the details. This way it was carved in a very detailed and exquisite way. This entrance is the one located in the Square of the Martyrs.

The other entrance is located in Comedias Street, where I was impressed by the way the peculiar style was preserved.

But as I said at the beginning, the most amazing thing was when I entered the church.
With its rococo style it gives the sensation of majesty, I didn't know where to start looking when I entered.

All the decoration of the walls, the walls and above all the ceiling, is beautiful, where this style is most reflected. It is as if there was no white space where there was no decoration.

The elegance overflowed everywhere and I could not help but be amazed, not because it was a church but because of the architecture and art that dazzles.

It was the entire interior that was renovated, with many people working on it.

As soon as you enter the building, you can see posters explaining the whole process of reconstruction of the temple, but also the history of it.

All the decoration gives a high value to the church and many tourists pass through the place every day.

In fact, the fact that it is open to the public, much longer than a normal church, makes it very visitable and admired.

There is not a place where there is not an ornament, so it might seem overloaded inside, but when you look at the whole there is a view that dazzles, I think that is the right word for what I saw and want to reflect in these photographs.

I always look at the roofs of churches and this one was not exempt. The beauty is just too much.

Works of art everywhere, stained glass of different colours, reflecting the sunlight that enters with the colours of those same stained glass windows.

Lots of illumination, it even looks like there is a corridor in the heights with a beautiful railing. More and more paintings that have been painstakingly executed and restored. Virgins, Christs, angels and many canvases painted in a unique way.

The white and gold colour of the whole place as I said dazzle and give elegance to the whole tour I made through the huge church. My eyes couldn't stop admiring everything I saw.

When I reached the altar I found some peculiar shapes on the ceiling, as if it was made in the shape of a clover, another beauty without equal with so much detail and decoration.

Of course there are also many chapels with sculptures of Christ and the Virgin, as well as many saints and angels.

It was amazing to see how well done they were, many of these sculptures are the ones that are later used for the processions during Holy Week.

In some chapels the grilles were open and I could enter to take pictures from the inside and in most of them only from the outside, but I could still appreciate the splendour of each one I visited.

My eyes could not take it all in, an inside view that I really did not expect and that you can appreciate for yourselves.

The sensation of the skin crawling was constant, as I said, not because it is a catholic religious temple, but because of the style, the architecture and above all the amount of art contained in one place.

The whole place was elegance and extreme delicacy. A place full of ancient history and with a restoration process from the foundations to the highest point of the temple.

A church that is definitely worth visiting, that left me speechless and that I would visit again to admire the art that is in it, as well as to appreciate the enormous restoration work that has been carried out.

A pleasure to bring you this architectural marvel. Best regards to all of you and see you next time.
Amonet.

_{All photographs are my own.
Separators created by me in Photoshop.
Used translator Deepl.com free version.
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