Parish Church of “Sant Pere i Sant Pau”
Churches from Algaida district
Contact
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Location
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Opening hours
Open all year (except during Catholic Mass)
History
The origins of the parish date back to 1435, when the administrative and religious capital was moved from Castellitx to the old farmstead of Algaida. The church standing today, in the Gothic style with considerable Baroque influence, was built between the 16th and 17th centuries on top of a previous construction. In the 18th century important works were done, including the construction of the Roser Chapel, instigated by the provost of Algaida Francesc Togores (1742-1771).
The facing of the main facade is divided into three sections. The main portal, which is Gothic, has a pointed arch with two archivolts around the tympanum, which has an image of the Virgin Mary. Above it there is a rectangular window and a rose window. The facade is crowned by a mixed-line, Baroque-style upper wall, with a cross on top. The bell tower is on the right of the main facade. It is square and has five-levels and a top. The fifth level has two round arches on each side.
The interior is made up of a single nave divided into six sections with a rib-vaulted ceiling and a gallery in the entrance area, which has a diminished arch and a diminished groin-vaulted ceiling, bearing the coat of arms of Algaida (a tower) on the keystone. There are six side chapels, with round arches and rib-vaulted ceilings. The transverse arch, separating the presbytery from the nave, is round and has two escutcheons. The lower section of the nave’s walls is lined with tiles, dating to the reform of 1788 and the upper part has six rounded Gothic windows on each side, with stained glass in the third and fourth. The main altarpiece is a large baroque-style structure with five vertical and three horizontal sections, four paintings on the predella and thirteen images on the remainder. The image of Mare de Déu de la Mamella — Our Lady of the Breast — (in the centre of the second section), the patron saint of stonemasons, is a Gothic marble sculpture. An image of Christ is displayed at the top.
The chapels on the left (the Gospel side) are dedicated to Saint Catherine of Palma, the Sacred Heart, Saint Joseph, the Profundis chapel (dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary), the Holy Blood and the Ascension. The first chapel on the right (the Epistle side) has a diminished arch leading to the bell tower and a baptismal font. This is followed by chapels dedicated to the Immaculate Conception and Saint Sebastian. The fourth space is the side entrance door, followed by the chapel of Saint Anthony the Great and that of Saint John the Baptist.
For years now, the church has housed the Gothic altarpiece of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, originally from the church at Castellitx.