The parish church of San Cristóbal in Lorca
The church is the religious home of the Paso Encarnado in Lorca
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The church of San Cristóbal in Lorca is an unusual one in terms at least of its location, in that it stands on the “wrong” side of the River Guadalentín, away from the other monumental places of worship in the historic city centre.
San Cristóbal is a baroque building in the district of San Cristóbal, which was already an outlying area of Lorca in the 15th century and stood on one of the roads leading into the walled city. There are records of smaller chapels in the area dating back to 1627, and the first monumental façade was contracted from stonemason Alonso Pérez Crespo in 1651.
The current façade and the sacristy are from the 18th century, while the neo-classical tower was rebuilt in 1830 following the damage caused to the whole of the San Cristóbal district when the Puentes dam broke in 1802.
Further reconstruction, this time of the interior, was required after the Spanish Civil War (1936-39), and following the earthquake damage sustained in May 2011 more repair work was needed, with the regional government of Valencia playing an important role in supplying finance. The building in its current form features the splendid 18th century doorway and the main altar screen, which was created by Manuel Caro in the years after 1714.
The church of San Cristóbal has forged for itself an important role in the famed Semana Santa celebrations of Lorca as the home of the “Cofradía del Santísimo Cristo de la Sangre” brotherhood, better known as the Paso Encarnado. The embroidery and Semana Santa museum of the Paso Encarnado is at Calle Eulogio Periago nº 2 in the north of Lorca, where it opened in March 2002 with the blessing of the Bishop of Cartagena, Manuel Ureña, and during Easter Week the church is open to the public with an exhibition of items belonging to the brotherhood.
For the remainder of the year, the church is used for general religious services and can be viewed just before, or after, mass.
The parish office is open as follows:
October to March; Tuesday to Friday 5.15 to 7pm in the evening
April to June; Tuesday to Friday from 5.30 to 7.30 in the evening
July to September; Monday and Wednesday from 6.00 to 7.30 in the evening
Address: Calle Portijico / Plaza de la Hortaliza, 30800 Lorca
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