Iglesia-Fortaleza de San Bartolomé

The Iglesia-Fortaleza de San Bartolomé has stood over the old town of Jávea since the 16th century. Work to enlarge it began in 1513 under the Basque-born architect Domingo de Urteaga, at a time when the population was growing and Barbary pirate raids were forcing the coast to strengthen its defences. The bell tower, finished in 1531, still carries at its base a 14th-century military tower that was already part of the settlement's first wall, topped later by a more churchlike belfry.

A church built to withstand attack

The building was raised in Elizabethan Gothic style, with a wide nave and three chapels on each side framed by buttresses that, seen from outside, look more like fortification than religious architecture. Its walls still carry loopholes and gun ports, a feature few churches in the Valencian Community keep so visible today. It was declared a Bien de Interés Cultural, Spain's highest heritage protection category, in 1931, and in recent years its bell tower has undergone restoration work authorised by the regional culture department.

The church is usually visited on the same walk as the rest of the old town, close to the Museu Soler Blasco and a short walk from the Banys de la Reina on the coast. The cobbled, stepped streets around it call for comfortable shoes, and the middle of the day in summer is worth avoiding, since the old town has little direct shade. As an active church, access during services depends on not disturbing the ceremony, and a quiet tone is worth keeping inside at any time of day.