Church of Our Lady of Sorrows (Nuestra Señora de las Angustias)

Tradition has it that the image of Our Virgin of Sorrows (Virgen de las Angustias), patron saint of Granada, was painted by the Hispano-Flemish author Francisco Chacon in the late fifteenth century and donated to the city by Queen Isabel the Catholic. The sculpture was remodeled in 1718 by Pedro Duque Cornejo, who added the image of Crucified Christ (Cristo Crucificado), transforming the iconography of the Virgin of Loneliness (Virgen de la Soledad) into a Pieta. The Virgin was worshiped in the primitive chapel of Saint Ursula and Susana, in the outskirts of Granada.

Due to the expansion of the city in the sixteenth century (outside the walls), and the large influx of worshipers who came to venerate the miraculous image, a new church was erected under the leadership of Juan de Rueda Moreno, Master of Alhambra works in 1663, shaping it as a baroque church, which served as a model for others that would be built in the province.

It has latin-cross plan and 4 side-chapels on each side, crossing with side chapels, elevated chancel and choir at the foot of the temple. It has a barrel vault over Tuscan pilasters divided by header arches which are adorned by plasterworks with Marian and vegetable motifs. The Sagrario Chapel is covered by a flat wooden ceiling, called Alfarje.

The interior is decorated with altarpieces, images, paintings, stucco and wall paintings. Placed on the chapels, there are six paintings on the Passion of Christ, attributed to Juan Leandro de la Fuente, dating from the sixteenth century. The statues of the apostles, carried out by Duque Cornejo, are located on the transept pilasters. The images distributed in the different chapels and altarpieces as Saint Anthony, done by Diego de Mora and Saint Lucia from Pablo de Rojas, are also of great importance.

The altarpiece is made of marble, drawn by Marcos Fernandez Raya and completed in 1760. It consists of two bodies and three sections separated by pilasters. In the main section of the lower body, a large arch framing the chapel housing the image of the Virgin appears.

This Lady Chapel consists of three rooms. The sides are all decorated with paintings representing the painful and joyful mysteries of the rosary. On the center, we can find the opaque image of Our Lady of Sorrows (Nuestra Señora de las Angustias) covered by a vault supported by Salomonic columns.

The cover is made of two bodies, the lower has a round arch framed by Corinthian columns on tall pedestals which support an entablature surmounted by triangular pediments. The second body is chaired by an alcove that houses a statue of the Pieta, made by Bernardo and Jose de Mora in 1665. On both sides, the coats of Archbishop Jose Argaiz are placed, topped by two cherubs. The altarpiece is surmounted by a pediment divided by the royal crest.

We recommend:

In the center of Granada, here is another establishment of the Sol Melia group, Tryp Albayzin Hotel, strategically located within the historical-cultural center of the city, next to the Basilica of Our Lady of Sorrows and the Congress Palace. In any of its 106 rooms you will find all necessary amenities and the latest technology. It offers its clients sauna, gym and private garage.