Church of Saint Matthew (Caceres)
Construction of the Church of St. Matthew began during the 16th century on the foundations of an old church that, in turn, had been built on the foundations of an old mosque.
It is an impressive work that was under the command of a series of architects for more than 100 years. For that reason, an interesting mixture of architectural styles is observed.
The design of the temple is in the unmistakable Gothic style with a carpanel arch flanked by columns with two medallions on the spandrels. One of them presents an effigy of St. Peter, while the other presents an effigy of St. Paul. In the centre of the frieze is an image of St. Matthew.
The church tower is shown with great sobriety and was the last architectural element to be built in 1780.
The church has a single nave with an altarpiece on its main altar made of non-polychrome pine with an Extremaduran style attributed to Vicente Barbadillo. Figures in the niches – also polychrome – stand out, especially that of the Child of the Congregation.
As a good Gothic-style temple, the church abounds with details of great quality and finish. Among them are chapels of the Caceres nobility, beautifully decorated with canvases and allegorical sculptures.
An interesting detail is that its clock is not original. Rather, it was moved from the Bujaco Tower, called the Clock Tower. Between the 16th and 18th centuries, it served as a guide to the time for locals.
Given its extraordinary heritage value, the Church of St. Matthew was declared a Historic-Artistic Monument in 1982.
It is an impressive work that was under the command of a series of architects for more than 100 years. For that reason, an interesting mixture of architectural styles is observed.
The design of the temple is in the unmistakable Gothic style with a carpanel arch flanked by columns with two medallions on the spandrels. One of them presents an effigy of St. Peter, while the other presents an effigy of St. Paul. In the centre of the frieze is an image of St. Matthew.
The church tower is shown with great sobriety and was the last architectural element to be built in 1780.
The church has a single nave with an altarpiece on its main altar made of non-polychrome pine with an Extremaduran style attributed to Vicente Barbadillo. Figures in the niches – also polychrome – stand out, especially that of the Child of the Congregation.
As a good Gothic-style temple, the church abounds with details of great quality and finish. Among them are chapels of the Caceres nobility, beautifully decorated with canvases and allegorical sculptures.
An interesting detail is that its clock is not original. Rather, it was moved from the Bujaco Tower, called the Clock Tower. Between the 16th and 18th centuries, it served as a guide to the time for locals.
Given its extraordinary heritage value, the Church of St. Matthew was declared a Historic-Artistic Monument in 1982.
Location
What to see in Caceres
