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I have this church mix in with other post and feel should have a post of its own in my blog, One of the wonderful sights we saw while walking the pavement of nice Valencia. I have several posts on the city in my blog, you just need to search,,, Therefore, let me tell you about the Church Santa Catalina of Valencia !! Hope you enjoy the post as I.

Valencia by the Mediterranean coast is a lovely town often overlook for the bigger two others but worth a detour indeed.  I came often in my early teen years as lived in Madrid and had an aunt on mother’s side that lived in El Saler. Then , took advantage and went o Valencia with them ; always nice souvenirs of our family visits ; several years ago she passed away and now visits are less but do come ,see my posts, This is  Valencia, capital of Comunitat Valenciana in my beloved kingdom of Spain.

The Church of Santa Catalina is one of the Gothic temples of the city of Valencia. It was erected in the Cathedral district, in the current Plaza Lope de Vega, on a previous mosque. In the 13C it acquired the rank of parish. It consists of three naves, with lateral buttresses, between which the chapels were installed, and girolas. Its baroque tower is very emblematic. In the 16C the Church was covered with classicist decoration to the Renaissance taste. After a awesome fire suffered in 1548, it was partially rebuilt. In 1785, following the prevailing fashion, it was given a baroque look.  The belfry was built between 1688 and 1705.

Masterpiece of the Valencian Baroque, is of hexagonal plant and its elevation is divided into four floors separated by mouldings, plus the body of bells and the upper crown. In its origin it was called Bells Salomonic by the helical columns that adorn that high part. It also stands out for the highlights as pilasters that adorn its angles and the decoration of its windows, where the decorative style of the ephemeral Baroque was moved with mastery. It reaches 56 meters high. The bells melted in London in 1729 and later, in 1914, the clock was added. During the restoration carried out in 2012, when going to repair the clock they realized that the machinery was relatively modern and had no value, so it was decided to remove it and replace the old bell that had been removed in 1902. 

In 1936 the Church Santa Catalina the Martyr was assaulted by Republican leftist militiamen and burned, demolished it completely. In the 1950’s works of Repristina were carried out, to give back its original gothic physiognomy, for which it was stripped to the walls of the remains of baroque and neoclassical decoration. It is a temple of Eucharistic reparation for more than 50 years, ruled by the Brotherhood of Diocesan operative priests. It has a nice museum inside

The city of Valencia on the church:  https://www.valencia.es/-/infociudad-iglesia-de-santa-catalina

The Valencia tourist office on the church: https://www.visitvalencia.com/en/what-to-do-valencia/valencian-culture/monuments-in-valencia/santa-catalina-church-and-tower

There you go folks, a nice walking tour of Valencia and a wonderful monument of the Church Saint Catalina.  Again, hope you have enjoy the post as I

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!