Parish Church of the Asunción and its Baroque Sagrario

What it is

Priego's main church, on Calle Abad Palomino, next to the castle and the entrance to the Barrio de la Villa. It was begun in 1525 on the commission of the Marchioness of Priego: a Gothic-Mudéjar building with three aisles, with pointed arches on octagonal pillars and a Mudéjar roof whose decoration is still preserved hidden beneath the 18th-century Baroque vault.

The Sagrario

What you come to see is the Sagrario, considered one of the masterpieces of Spanish Baroque and a National Monument since 1932. It was made by Francisco Javier Pedrajas between 1772 and 1784. The plan is an octagon surrounded by a lower passage and a gallery, topped by a gadrooned dome that opens at its base with eight large windows; through them light pours over the whole. In front there is a smaller, square enclosure. All the architecture is covered in mouldings and plasterwork of Rococo inspiration, white, which in midday light look newly made.

Enter slowly from the square enclosure into the octagon: the change of scale and light is the effect Pedrajas was after. Raise your eyes to the dome before looking at the details.

Opening hours and visiting

The official listing does not publish opening hours, and as it is a parish church with services, it may be closed at times or hold Mass. Ask at the municipal tourist office, at Plaza de la Constitución, 3 (957 700 625), or at the parish itself before going, and avoid service times. Half an hour is enough. It is a place of worship: dress appropriately and keep quiet.

The Baroque of Priego

If you like it, Priego has enough for a whole route. The Junta guide cites, besides the Sagrario, the churches of La Aurora, San Francisco, San Pedro, Las Angustias, San Juan de Dios, El Carmen and Las Mercedes, and the Fuente del Rey. In June, Corpus Christi is still celebrated on a Thursday and the Junta highlights its beauty in the Barrio de la Villa.

To combine

When you leave you are at the door of the Barrio de la Villa and the Adarve and a few steps from the castle: the three together make a relaxed morning. To rest afterwards, in the same quarter are the Arab baths at Casa Baños de la Villa, by reservation.

How to look at it

Notice the church first: the octagonal pillars and pointed arches belong to the 16th-century Gothic-Mudéjar building; the vault that covers them, from the 18th century, hides the original Mudéjar roof above. Then pass into the Sagrario through the square enclosure. If you are with children, tell them that everything white they see on the dome is hand-made plasterwork.