Saints Justo and Pastor Church

This church was built for the Jesuit Order, but after the expulsion of the Jesuits from Spain in 1773 and the abolition of the Order by Pope Clement XIV, it was consecrated first as a collegiate of the Savior Church and later Saints Justo and Pastor Church. The Jesuit Order was again reestablished in 1814 but was set then at the current Temple of the Sacred Heart.

The church, dedicated to Santiago Apostle, begun in the year 1574 and was consecrated in 1622. The Archbishop of Granada, Pedro Guerrero and Veneroso family contributed to its financing.

The facade

It has two accesses to the temple from the outside. The side facade dates from 1587, drawn by Martin de la Baset. The main facade was designed by Alfonso Castillo and directed by Pedro Francisco Gomez in the year 1739 and is located at the foot of the temple. The tower is due to Jose de Bada y Navajas and was completed in 1719. It has a square plan and consists of three bodies surmounted by capital with lantern. It is situated at the left side of the church.

The interior

It has latin cross plan with a single nave, side chapels, transept, chancel and high choir at the foot of the temple. The nave is covered with a banked barrel vault decorated with moldings and supported on pillars. It is illuminated through bend windows. On the cornice, there are frescoes with scenes from the life of Saint Francisco Javier, made by Martin Pineda in 1728. In the pilasters, the statues of the Archangels Saint Michael and Saint Rafael are set, they are eighteenth century works by Torcuato Ruiz del Peral.

The dome of the transept is supported on scallops decorated with the emblems of the Order and Bartholome Veneroso benefactor. In the tambour, we can see figures painted in tempera representing four Doctors of the Church, interspersed with eight windows.

The Major Altarpiece

The Altarpiece was executed in 1660. It is composed of pew, central body and attic. The body is divided in three sections demarcated by Salomonic columns. Until recently, it was believed that this was the first altar that used Salomonic columns, but as some papers have appeared it has turned out that this altarpiece of the Carthusian Monastery of Jerez was the first one to use this type of support. The attic has three registers; the central is occupied by a Calvary.

The tabernacle, located in the central part, is a device that allows change according to its religious function. With a cylindrical shape, it is divided into two bodies with niches framed by stone and wood columns bearing the images of the four evangelists. It was performed by Pedro de Mena. The canvases of the streets can also be hidden and show the relics placed on the opposite side. The attic, when rotated, shows an oil painting with the scene of the Conversion of Saint Paul, by Bocanegra. This mechanism is a sign of Baroque theatricality. The organ, from the El Salvador church, is decorated close to Rococo style. It was performed by Salvador Pavon in 1764.

The Sacristy

The Sacristy is rectangular, covered with a barrel vault with lunettes, its construction began in 1607. Its decoration is based on sculptures and ornamental motifs, including Marian saints of the Jesuit Order, with geometric and vegetal wreaths.