Church Monti-Sion

Construction got underway on a new church in 1571. The enormous cultural and socio-economic influence exerted by the Jesuits was not looked upon kindly by the royal power, which eliminated the order from 1767 until 1815.

The doorway of the church has a complex system of transoms that alternate pilasters and wreathed columns decorated with floral motifs and compound capitals. Above the voussoir doorway is the frieze and profusely decorated archivolts. The tympanum frames a large coat-of-arms held up by two angels, the coat-of-arms of the patron of the construction, Ramon de Verí. The sides hold statues of the first Jesuit saints, Ignatius of Loyola on the left and Francisco Javier on the right. A depiction of the Inmaculada Concepción (Immaculate Conception) crowns the doorway over the crescent window, as does a portrayal of the devil in the guise of a beast and, further up, the coat-of-arms of Saint Ignatius. The entire area is protected by a semicircular drip groove. What stands out on the upper part is a rose window with smooth mouldings and a triangular pediment.

The inside of the temple has a single nave with a quadrangular altar area and six rectangular chapels on each side. The ceiling of the nave is a half-barrel vault with lunettes held up by grooved wooden pilasters. The chapels and presbytery have ribbed vaults. The main altarpiece was begun in 1607, designed by Camilo Silvestre Perino. The grave of Ramon de Verí is on the left side of the presbytery.

The first chapel on the left side contains the grave of Saint Alphonsus Rodriguez, who was the caretaker of Monti-sion for many years until his death in 1617. This chapel was begun in 1635. It has a cross-shaped layout and walls clad in marble sheets. The mausoleum containing the saint’s body dates from 1825.

In the other areas, the noteworthy elements include Saint Alphonsus’ cell, decorated just as it was during the saint’s lifetime, and the Gothic Monti-sion altarpiece built in a chapel separate from the main church.