El Poble Nou de Benitatxell
The parish church in El Poble Nou de Benitatxell, dedicated to Santa Maria Magdalena, is located at the highest point of the urban centre. In 1710, the old hermitage was destroyed and the construction of the new temple began. The construction process was slow, especially at the beginning. In 1774, the construction was finally completed. Archbishop Herrero established it as an independent parish in 1902. In 1906, the expansion and final ornamentation of the temple began, which can be considered completed with the construction of the current façade in 1953 and the installation of the clock within the bell tower in 1961.
The exterior of the parish is very austere, with rough stone on the façade and a neoclassical ashlar entrance.
The church has a Latin cross floor plan, with a single nave and lateral chapels between buttresses. It has a circular dome on a small drum illuminated with oculi and pendentives in the transept. The central nave is covered with a barrel vault supported by arches and lunettes.
Inside, one can find rich ornamentation in whites and golds, with garlands, friezes, entablatures, and Corinthian and Tuscan capitals. (1)
(1) Monumenta archivorum Valentina, V. Facultad de teología "San Vicente Ferrer". Inventari dels arxius parroquials de la Marina Alta. València 2004.