San Bartolomé church and its ceramic tower

Jerez is the city of towers: four parishes with four Baroque belfries built after the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. The one at San Bartolomé, in the upper district, is the most colourful and the one that gets the most photos. It is on Plaza de San Bartolomé and is a Site of Cultural Interest.

History

The church began as a chapel. Gothic traces of that first 13th-century church survive, and an inscription in Gothic letters on its walls says that a chapel was finished in 1508. The present building is from the 15th century, with alterations in the 16th and 17th.

The first tower fell in the 1755 earthquake. The one seen today was built in 1759 and is about 60 m tall, like that of Santa Catalina.

What to see

Outside, the tower mixes exposed brick, terracotta, plasterwork and blue-and-white glazed ceramic. The main façade is covered in tiles with ceramic discs that form borders of Baroque motifs. It is worth looking at it calmly, from the square and from the streets that run down.

Inside, the high altar has a simple but ornate altarpiece, the work of José de la Barrera, placed in 1691. Look also for the baptismal font in which tradition says Vasco Núñez de Balboa was baptised, the Commanders' chapel and the tomb of Vasco de Xerez.

From the top of the tower there are views over the whole old town. The climb is not always available: the tourist office asks that you enquire first.

Hours and admission

Turismo de Extremadura states that admission is free and that the hours should be checked at the tourist office, on 924 730 372. The parish publishes ticket information on its website. As a church in use for worship, it is visited outside services, in silence, in suitable clothing and without flash. Allow half an hour, a little more if you climb the tower.

How to get there and what to combine

San Bartolomé is in the upper part, outside the alcazaba's core: you walk there from Plaza de España along sloping streets. It is the natural partner of the Vasco Núñez de Balboa House Museum, and the Tour Extremadura guided visit passes through here. To see the four towers, add Santa María and San Miguel; Santa Catalina is outside the walls, in the lower district.