Church of the Assumption and Bell Tower

The parish church of Our Lady of the Assumption crowns Bocairent's old town, built on the ruins of an old Arab castle. It was consecrated in 1516, in Gothic style, and later adapted to Baroque taste; the Tourist Info says that it brings together the main characteristics of Valencian art, from Gothic to the 19th century. Beside it is the Parish Museum, which the Tourist Info counts among the best collections of sacred art in the Comunitat Valenciana.

What you see

• The aisles. Three, separated by pilasters with sculptures of apostles. The central one has frescoes by Eduardo Esteve, from between the 18th and 19th centuries, with the Dormition and the Coronation of the Virgin.
• The baptismal font. It was a 15th-century public fountain, carved in stone on a Gothic base, which passed to the parish in the 17th. It is attributed to Pere Compte and Pere Balaguer, the stonemasons of the Lonja and the Miguelete in Valencia.
• The Reservado chapel, the former chapter house dedicated to the Virgin of the Rosary, begun in 1665 with stone from the Rompegalés quarry and paid for in part by the textile guilds of El Rosal and La Minerva. José Parreu and his pupils painted the frescoes in 1732.
• The Sant Blai chapel, patron saint of Bocairent since 1632, a Churrigueresque work by the Vergara brothers from 1722, with four medallions on the life and martyrdom of the saint.
• The high altar. At the base, "The Saviour" by Salvador Segrelles, a painter from Albaida. On the right, an altarpiece painted for this parish by Joan de Joanes in the 16th century; on the left, another that he began and his pupils finished. There is also a 15th-century processional cross.
• The bell tower. It partly collapsed in the Montesa earthquake of 1748 and was rebuilt in 1766. You climb it on the visit.

The Parish Museum

It brings together silverwork, textiles, ceramics, painting and sculpture, with works by Joan de Joanes, Sorolla, the Master of Borbotó, Ribalta, Segrelles, Mariano Benlliure, Cristòfol Llorenç and Blas Silvestre. It was recently refurbished by the La Luz de las Imágenes Foundation. The Book of Privileges of the Royal Cloth Factory from 1587 is also kept here.

Opening hours and prices

The parish publishes these visiting hours: Saturdays from 12:00 to 13:30 and Sundays and public holidays from 12:45 to 14:00.

• Church and bell tower: €3.
• Church, bell tower and Parish Museum: €5.
• Parish tourist pass: €8, with the museum, church, bell tower, rock-cut monastery and the Museum of Trades and Customs.

The Tourist Info says admission is free for under-12s; the parish leaflet extends this to under-14s. For arranged visits, [email protected] or 639 835 593. Tickets are sold at the Tourist Info and on the town's ticket website. Hours can change: the tourist office warns that it is not responsible for changes to museum opening hours.

Getting there and what to combine it with

You walk up through the old town, which is pedestrian; the car stays on Calle Batalla de Lepanto and Calle Joaquín Sorolla. Below the church is the municipal archaeological museum, open Saturdays and Sundays from 10:00 to 11:45 for €2.50. Very close are the Cava de Sant Blai and the visit to the Covetes dels Moros.