Iglesia de San Jaime y Santa Ana

The Iglesia de San Jaime y Santa Ana sits at the top of the Casco Antiguo in Benidorm, on the Canfali hill, with sea views from two of the three squares it faces. It was built between 1740 and 1780, after a small statue of the Virgen del Sufragio, now the city's patron saint, was found adrift at sea in a boat.

History

The bell tower went up somewhat later, between 1807 and 1812, and the building was refurbished in 1912 and restored again in 1990. The main Neoclassical façade opens onto Plaça de Sant Jaume, set back from the water, while Plaça del Castellet and Plaça de la Senyoria, on either side, look out over the sea. Inside, the chapel of the Virgen del Sufragio holds the statue found at sea, the religious symbol Benidorm's residents identify with most closely. The dedication to Saint James, the city's patron, goes back to the early days of the fishing settlement that preceded tourist-era Benidorm, when the parish church was the only large building in the small town.

Visiting

The façade combines a curved pediment over the doorway, an oculus, and a large triangular pediment carried on Corinthian pilasters, all topped by a blue-tiled dome that works as one of the most recognisable landmarks in the Casco Antiguo. From the surrounding squares, especially the Balcón del Mediterráneo, the whole bay of Benidorm opens out below. Close by, on the same hill, stands the Cruz de Benidorm, another of the old town's viewpoints. Anyone wanting to compare this 18th-century church with the city's more recent religious architecture can head to the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Carmen, in a completely different style, over in the Levante district. The squares around the church fill with terraces and evening activity in the hours before sunset, when the light catches the blue dome directly.