Church dels Socors

The main altarpiece by J. Antoni Oms contains an image of the Virgen del Socorro (Virgin of Succour) dating from the late 16th century made of alabaster. It was brought here from Seville and given to the church as a gift from Massipa, a repentant prostitute. Over the virgin’s niche there is another altarpiece which shows Saint Augustine inspired by the Holy Trinity, surmounted by an image of Saint Michael. 

The fourth chapel on the left is the one of Saint Nicholas of Tolentino, also called de les Set Capelles (the chapel of the Seven Chapels), designed by Francesc Herrera (1673-1733) in a Baroque style with Italian influences. It was finished in 1705 and is an octagon nestled within an oval. It has seven chapels around the edges, recalling the seven masses that Saint Nicholas said to redeem the souls of purgatory. The most noteworthy one is the one devoted to Saint Rita, whose feast day is the 22nd of May. The ceiling is an exuberantly decorated oval-shaped dome. It has eight segments marked by ribs decorated with spiral-shaped garlands with plant motifs and an angel. The spaces between the ribs are also decorated with plant motifs wound around medallions featuring the figures of Saint Nicholas and Saint Augustine on either end, and numerous popes and Augustinian saints on the sides. The dome is surmounted by a skylight with eight small arches through which the light enters. At the entrance to the chapel is an image of Crist dels Gerrers (Christ of the Potters), which came from the ancient oratory of the potters’ guild.

The church also contains a Gothic image of the Virgen de Ítria (Virgin of Itria), a Virgen de Gràcia (Virgin of Grace) dating from the 17th century, and a modern image of the Virgen de los Desamparados (Our Lady of the Abandoned Ones), which is passionately adored by the Valencian community living on Mallorca.