St. Stephen's Church (; ) is a

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

parish church located in the Plaça de Sant Esteve in the city of

Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

Valencian Community The Valencian Community is an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain. It is the fourth most populous Spanish Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community after Andalusia, Catalonia and the Community of Madrid wit ...

, Spain.

History

St. Stephen's is one of the oldest churches in Valencia. It is built in the

Gothic style Gothic architecture is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It evolved from Romanesque ar ...

on the site of a

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

that stood in the city when it was under Muslim rule. It is a rather small church, not far from

Valencia Cathedral Valencia Cathedral, at greater length the Metropolitan Cathedral–Basilica of the Assumption of Our Lady of Valencia (, ), also known as St Mary's Cathedral, is a Catholic church in Valencia, Spain. The cathedral was consecrated in 1238 by ...

. According to one legend the site was that of an old Roman temple dedicated to

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...

. St. Stephen's was the notaries' church. Saint Vincent Ferrer (1350–1419) and Saint Luis Bertrán (1526–1581) were baptized here. ', along with ''The Martyrdom of Saint Stephen'' and other scenes from the saint's life painted around 1562 by

Juan de Juanes Vicente Juan Masip (also known as Joan de Joanes) (15071579) was a Spanish painter of the Renaissance period. He is commonly considered the foremost member of the Valencian school of painters. Masip was born in La Font de la Figuera. His fath ...

, formed the main altarpiece. They are now in the

Museo del Prado The Museo del Prado ( ; ), officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. It houses collections of Art of Europe, European art, dating from the 12th century to the early 20th ce ...

."The Martyrdom of Saint Stephen", Museo del Prado
/ref> The main church is open on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation; the chapel is open daily for mass.

Gallery

File:Interior de l'església de sant Esteve de València.JPG, Interior File:Valencia - Iglesia de Sant Esteve 05.jpg, Main altar File:Capella de la Comunió, església de sant Esteve, València.JPG, Communion Chapel File:Última Cena - Juan de Juanes.jpg, ''The Last Supper'' by Juan de Juanes File:Martirio de San Esteban, de Juan de Juanes (Museo del Prado).jpg, ''Martyrdom of Saint Stephen'' by Juan de Juanes

References

Roman Catholic churches in Valencia

Valenica Bien de Interés Cultural landmarks in the Province of Valencia

Esteban Esteban () is a Spanish male given name, derived from Greek Στέφανος (Stéphanos) and related to the English names Steven and Stephen. Although in its original pronunciation the accent is on the penultimate syllable, English-speakers tend ...

Neoclassical church buildings in Spain {{Spain-church-stub