Basilica of the Sweet Name of Jesus 📷 Malaga - Spain

The Basilica of the Sweet Name of Jesus is located very close to the city centre of Malaga in a triangular-shaped block, very original in its style.

It houses the Archicofradía del Paso y la Esperanza. Passing by this place is very striking, as it is surrounded by wide avenues and its beauty can be seen from a distance.

The basilica is relatively modern, built in 1988, so you can see at first glance the current construction, in contrast to many other buildings or churches in which the antiquity is striking.

We can find this basilica in the district of El Perchel and together with the Cathedral and the Sanctuary of La Victoria it has the title of Minor basilica of the province of Malaga.

Its neo-baroque style stands out in the environment in which it is located. In its surroundings we can find a very important commercial area, as just a few steps away we can see the Corte Inglés, one of the most famous shopping centres in Europe and which has many branches throughout its extension.

Very close to the basilica is one of the most important avenues of the city, the Avenida Andalucía. In this neighbourhood you will also find other emblematic buildings of great history, such as the church of San Pedro and the Iglesia del Carmen.

There is a great deal of originality and architectural and artistic style in this area, all of which date back to the end of the 20th century.

The activity of the Brotherhood of El Paso y la Esperanza began in the 70's and at first the place was called the Church of Santo Domingo. After the consecration of the basilica with its current name, it made a great contribution to the city.

As for its architecture, although it is modern, it has that neo-baroque style, which makes it very beautiful.

On entering the basilica, what stands out most is the altar and the sculptures and figures that can be seen there.

All around it everything is in darkness, with few sculptures.

Under the main altar there is a crypt and the most impressive thing is the 150 cm high silver tabernacle made by donations.

At the beginning and due to economic reasons, the details on the sides of the altar were very few, they were practically naked and this issue was solved by placing lamps and curtains.

These chandeliers were one of the things that caught my attention, they are very original and enhance the beauty of the front and the altar of the basilica.

Despite these details, the importance of the images of Christ and the Virgin, whose beauty is astounding, was not diminished. There is a mixture of styles here, between 20th century realist sculpture and Andalusian baroque.

But one thing I would like to point out, when I entered the place and saw it practically in the dark, that caught my attention, until I looked up and could see the ceiling.

It was absolutely marvellous, a beautiful vault with paintings of Marian allegories and major prophets.

All these paintings were oil paintings by the painter García Ibáñez. They are of an impressive majesty, finely illuminated, so I suppose that is why the basilica is in darkness, to protect the paintings and sculptures.

However, the most illuminated part of the basilica is the altar area, and it has great acoustics.

This great work of art forms an artistic ensemble called "Apotheosis of the Virgin Mary" and was carried out in 1992 and 1993.

It is 48 square metres of art worth seeing and depicts the Queen of Apostles, Queen of Virgins, Queen of Martyrs and Queen of Angels, as well as the aforementioned Apotheosis of Mary.

In 2019 the basilica was renovated for 6 months, after which it reopened its doors to the public.

As for the exterior, there are two things to note, one of them is the bell tower and its beautiful architecture, which has 5 bronze bells and each of them has a name, such as, for example, Santo Tomás and Dulce Nombre de Jesús.

The next highlight on the outside are the Andalusian tile murals depicting different scenes from the holy scriptures: the incarnation, the birth, the wedding at Cana, the coronation of the Virgin Mary and then Mary by the cross.

To distinguish the Virgin Mary in all the murals she is dressed in green.

A building that really surprised me inside. Normally I like old churches more, but in this case the roof amazed me and the murals on the outside make it a church out of the ordinary.

Thank you all very much for watching and reading this far. Best regards and see you next time.
Amonet.

_{All photographs are my own.
Separators created by me in Photoshop.
Used translator Deepl.com free version.
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