Iglesia de Sant Bartomeu

The Iglesia de Sant Bartomeu stands in the centre of the historic quarter of Finestrat, just outside the original town walls, and was consecrated on 24 August 1751 in honour of Sant Bertomeu, the town's patron saint. Ceramic fragments found in its crypt suggest construction of the building may have begun as early as the mid-17th century, before the structure seen today was completed.

A plain façade and recovered frescoes

The church follows a Baroque style with a simple, austere façade, showing the influence of the early neoclassicism that was spreading through the area at the time. It's listed in the General Inventory of Valencian Cultural Heritage. A recent restoration uncovered original frescoes, possibly from the 18th century, that had lain hidden under a layer of plaster in the central nave for decades.

The church sits naturally along a walk through Finestrat's steep, winding old-town streets, close to the Ermita del Santísimo Cristo del Remedio at the top of the old castle site, and a short drive from Puig Campana and the Cala de Finestrat. Each year, during the town's patron saint festivities, the image of the Cristo del Remedio is carried in procession from the hermitage down to this church, one of the most widely attended moments on the local festive calendar.