Iglesia de la Transfiguración del Señor

The parish church of the Transfiguración del Señor stands in the centre of Ibi and has been the town's main church since the sixteenth century. Residents were granted permission to set up their own parish here, dedicated to San Salvador, in 1526; before that date a small oratory dependent on Castalla already stood on the same site. Some sources place an initial place of worship on this spot as early as 1246, though without firm documentation before the sixteenth century.

History

The small original church was renovated and enlarged in 1554, and a new altar and bell tower went up in 1569. In 1582 the parish became fully independent from Castalla, gaining its own baptismal font and cemetery. The current building grew out of construction carried out between 1592 and 1602, which occupies the same footprint as today's central nave. An earthquake centred on Alcoy in 1620 damaged the structure and required repairs. The bell tower was rebuilt in 1766, and between 1782 and 1787 the church underwent a thorough remodelling — new doors, interior painting and work on the altar — that gave it its final neoclassical form: a single nave divided into five sections, soberly decorated. The presbytery preserves frescoes by the painter Joaquín Oliet.

What to see

Beyond the architecture and the frescoes in the presbytery, the interior holds carved images of the town's patron saints. The church stands a short walk from other points in the historic centre, such as the monument to Ibi's ice-cream makers and the Museo Valenciano del Juguete, and the visit pairs well with the Jardín Botánico de Torretes, on the edge of town.

Entry is free, and the visit does not take long. As this is an active parish, it is worth avoiding service times if the goal is to look around at leisure.