Santa María la Coronada Church is a

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

in the town of San Roque in the

Province of Cádiz Cádiz is a Provinces of Spain, province of southern Spain, in the southwestern part of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. It is the southernmost part of mainland Spain, as well as the southernmost part of ...

, Spain.

Description

The church was reputedly consecrated to Saint Mary the Crowned because it was named after the Gibraltar main church by the early inhabitants who had fled after the

Capture of Gibraltar The capture of Gibraltar by Anglo-Dutch forces of the Grand Alliance occurred between 1 and 4 August 1704 during the War of the Spanish Succession. Since the beginning of the war the Alliance had been looking for a harbour in the Iberian Penins ...

in 1704. The main building dates from the 18th century and features Spanish-Tuscan architecture and

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

artwork. The church is said to be in a better condition than it might due to the priest who had charge of it in 1704. It is said that the British soldiers went on a spree after they had taken Gibraltar and every local church was desecrated with the exception of this church because the priest stood his ground and his bravery created respect in the drunken sailors. Work began in 1735 on the construction of a church over the foundations of the 1508 Chapel of Saint Roch.The church was declared a

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

() in 1974. On the main altar, is the statue of Saint Mary the Crowned which is honoured alongside

Saint Sebastian Sebastian (; ) was an early Christianity, Christian saint and martyr. According to traditional belief, he was killed during the Diocletianic Persecution of Christians. He was initially tied to a post or tree and shot with arrows, though this d ...

and

Saint Joseph According to the canonical Gospels, Joseph (; ) was a 1st-century Jewish man of Nazareth who was married to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and was the legal father of Jesus. Joseph is venerated as Saint Joseph in the Catholic Church, Eastern O ...

. These 15th century statues pre-date the 1735 rebuilding as they were smuggled out of

Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...

after 1704 after the ''Exodus of Gibraltar'' (the exodus of the Spanish population of Gibraltar after it was taken over by Anglo-Dutch forces during the

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict fought between 1701 and 1714. The immediate cause was the death of the childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700, which led to a struggle for control of the Spanish E ...

). Two side chapels are reserved for ''The Holy Burial'' and ''The Most Holy Christ of Humbleness and Patience'' statues which were also brought as part of the exodus. The image of the ''Most Holy Christ of the Happy Death'' is the work of San Roque-born sculptor

Luis Ortega Bru Luis Ortega Brú (September 16, 1916 – November 21, 1982) was a Spanish people, Spanish sculptor and carver. He was famed for his Christian figures, especially Jesus and the Virgin Mary. Biography A native of San Roque, Cádiz, his father was ...

José Cadalso José de Cadalso y Vázquez (Cádiz, 1741 – Gibraltar, 1782) was a Spanish soldier, novelist, poet, playwright and essayist. He was one of the major authors of Spanish Enlightenment literature. Career Before completing his twentieth year, Ca ...

, a local poet, playwright, essayist (author of '' Cartas marruecas''), and soldier who was killed during the

Great Siege of Gibraltar The Great Siege of Gibraltar was an unsuccessful attempt by Enlightenment in Spain, Spain and Kingdom of France, France to capture Gibraltar from the Kingdom of Great Britain, British during the American Revolutionary War. It was the largest ba ...

in 1782 is buried in one of the side chapels. The church has the Gibraltar parish records from 1556 until 1704, as they were taken there by the inhabitants of Gibraltar when they left the town in 1704 and settled down in what today is San Roque.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Santa Maria la Coronada Church Churches in Andalusia Buildings and structures in San Roque, Cádiz 18th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Spain Bien de Interés Cultural landmarks in the Province of Cádiz