CHURCH AND ALTARPIECE OF NUESTRA SEÑORA DE JESÚS

CHURCH OF NTRA. SRA. DE JESÚS

A few weeks ago I had the chance to pay a visit to the Church of Jesús, very near of Ibiza City and then, i could enjoy the magnificent of the altarpiece, a unic and most appreciate art piece in the island. It´s considered " the jewel of the crown " in art.

the Annunciation, Birth and Adoration of the three Kings, I want to take them as my personal Christmas Card and with them to wish you a Merry Christmas and to wish you the best for the new year 2010.

It seems to be that is not known certainty who is the author of this altarpiece but "is suspected" that it was realized by Osona in Valencia. It is not known neither when, but it is believed that between the XV and XVI century.

The style is indeed a mixture of styles, predominating over the Flemish style and the Renaissance, but with Gothic clear shades that also are present in the altarpiece.

The central body as we see below it is centralized in the figure known as Ntra. Sra. de la Llet, that is the Virgin feeding the child.

This temple was raised as Convent by the Franciscans in the 15th century, though today it belongs to the municipality of Santa Eulalia, this church in her origins was using as a religious temple for the people specially fishermen and familys living out of the walls of Ibiza, since this zone belongs to the called " pla of Vila ". The convent in 1.580 passed to the Dominicans, who founded a confraternity in honor to The Virgin Mary. This Order (Dominicans) went due to the insecurity of the frequent assaults to the Pirates' island indoors part of the walled zone of Ibiza City, in the Building that today is the church of Santo Domingo, and that still people knows popularly as "the Convent" (today the cloister belongs to the City hall).

The interest of this church in art continues with an interesting linen of Saint Clara that is dated on the XVIth century.

Also the image of the Virgin Mary is a work of Antonio Saura realized in the XVIth Century (image down).

This church, totally in white front as a rural church from Ibiza´s architecture, it was raised to the degree of parish by the first Bishop of Ibiza in 1.785.

Detail of the Calvary (up) and of the porch or "porxo" in the image of below that as in some of the churches in Ibiza it is not at the main entry but aside. It consists of four round arches and is a construction of the XIXth century.