Our heritage
of our past and a part of our present.
The stones here speak, because they are a part
of our past and a part of our present.
La Vall de Gallinera
Església de Sant Cristòfor de Benirrama
The 18th century is of great importance since most churches were built at the beginning of this century, when the crisis derived from the expulsion of the Moorish population and the adaptation period of the new settlers were a thing of the past. During the 20th century, two new parishes were created in La Vall de Gallinera: the parish of Benialí in 1961 and the parish of La Carroja in 1972.
During the Spanish Civil War, a large amount of artwork, images and altarpieces were lost. The bells also disappeared, probably melted down to make ammunition. The current ones are of recent origin.
The most common typology of churches in La Vall de Gallinera is that of a rectangular single-nave layout, with side chapels between buttresses, usually covered with a barrel vault or a ribbed vault (Benirrama, La Carroja, Alpatró and Benissili, the latter one being very small). In some cases, slightly more complex designs were created, such as that of Benissivà, which is marked by a Latin cross floor plan with two domes; or unique ornamental features appear, such as the Neo-Gothic elements of Benialí.
The current parish church of Benirrama was built on the site of a previous one, with the same patron saint, Sant Cristòfor. The construction began in 1790 and later, in 1816, it was restored.
The bell tower is located on one side of the main façade and has a slightly rectangular shape. It is painted white on the exterior and the interior of the first section has a staircase that provides access to the bell room. The second section features several windows with semi-circular arches, framed on the outside by Tuscan pilasters that occupy the edges. Above them, there is a cornice. The bell tower is topped with a four-sloped tiled roof.
In one of the windows, there are some cushion-like elements, which suggests the existence of two bells before 1936. These were installed with traditional local wooden profiles.
There are two sundials, one located on the south side of the bell tower and the other on the main façade of the church.
Inside the church, the altarpiece of the Mass of Sant Gregori with the Last Judgment stands out. It is an anonymous Valencian work from the late 15th century, restored in 2006. The restoration revealed a scene that had been previously covered up. This discovery makes the artwork itself one of the most interesting pieces of Valencian art from the Middle Ages. (1)
(1) Torro i Abad, J. (1986) Església i moriscos a la Vall de Gallinera (1578-1583). Aspectes econòmics de l'enfrontament. 1er congrés d'estudis de la Marina Alta.
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La Vall de Gallinera
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