The current temple of the Church of La Puríssima Concepció [the Immaculate Conception] is the second one that was built in Parcent in the same location. It stands on the site of the former mosque in the main square, crowning the hill on which the town is located. It seems that during the revolts of 1609, the Moors partially destroyed the original temple, as well as an initial parish archive. In 1630, the old temple was definitively demolished, and construction of the new one began. The new temple was blessed and inaugurated by the rector, Father Pere Torrà, in 1638. It was a small-sized church, with only one main altar and two side altars. As a result, a century later, in 1734, an expansion was carried out, and in 1858 the presbytery was constructed. The bell tower was completed in 1929 and underwent restoration in 1949.
In 1953, Luis Gil Salelles was appointed manciple and he renovated the presbytery, the main altar, the sacristy, the choir, the communion chapel, the bell tower vault and almost all the altars. Therefore, what can be seen in the church today is his work. He also built the new abbot's house (1956-57) and the parish home.
Before the expulsion of 1609, the parish was under the patronage of L'Assumpció de Maria Santíssima. However, immediately after the expulsion, it changed to the current patronage of La Puríssima Concepció de Maria.
The building has a rectangular floor plan with a single nave and lateral chapels between buttresses. The nave is covered with a barrel vault adorned with arches. On the exterior, there is the bell tower, which has a square base and a light three-story section with neo-Gothic motifs. The church is illuminated by small openings along the central nave. The façade features the main recessed entrance framed by two attached stone pillars from Xàbia, unique remnants from the 18th century.
The bell tower houses three bells, listed in the General Inventory of the Cultural Heritage of Valencia: the bell of Sant Llorenç, the bell of La Puríssima Concepció, and the Hour Bell. The bell of Sant Llorenç is made of bronze and is decorated with a cross, the image of Mare de Déu del Pilar, the foundry's mark, an inscription and floral garland decorations. The bell of La Puríssima Concepció displays modernist influences, also adorned with floral garlands, angel faces, a cross, the foundry's mark, an inscription and the anagram of the Virgin Mary. Finally, the Hour Bell is the most valuable in terms of heritage. It is a bronze bell without inscriptions but it features ornamentation, a cross, a shield with four bars, a crown and laurel branches.
(1) Sanchis i Sivera, J. (1922) Nomenclátor Geográfico-Eclesiástico de los pueblos de la Diócesis de Valencia. Valencia.