Sant Carles Borromeo began as the Jesuit oratory founded in 1703. It served the Jesuit college in Ontinyent until the order was expelled in 1767, after which it remained a church.
What it's like
It has four distinct parts:
- The nave and square bell tower, both Baroque, from the 18th century.
- The sacristy and the Communion chapel, added in 1882 on a massive 19-metre base.
Each side of the nave has six chapels between the buttresses, linked by round arches. The style is Baroque, except for the Communion chapel, decorated in Neo-Byzantine style by local artist Carles Tormo, Carlets.
Outside, note the carved stone main doorway, the oculus and the window, all from the original 18th-century Baroque church. The building was restored in 1942 (exterior), 1951 (interior) and again in recent years.
The church of the Moors and Christians
It is closely tied to the town's big festival: the High Mass in honour of the Holy Christ of Agony is held here on the Sunday of the Moors and Christians festival, and the procession ends here.
Visiting
It's on the Carrer Major (Maians section), among the noble palaces.
Source: Ontinyent Tourism.
