PARISH OF SANTA AGNÈS

CHURCH OF SANTA AGNÈS

Undoubtedly one of the most rural temples of the island. The Church is of a very simple trace, with typical walls, immaculately white and architectonically very simple, as the most of temples in the island. In the image of above that belongs to the south front, it´s possible to see the former entry, where there was time ago a fight among two men that concluded with the death of one of them, since then, this door remain closed, and it was builded another one at the west side of the temple.

Inside the church, that it´s like a hermitage and not a church itself, the architectural evident beauty features. It is the lowest temple that exists in the island, that is the reason why the choir (which it is located on a second floor at the churches of Ibiza)it doesn´t exists at this parish.

The saint holder of this church is Santa Agnès. It exists a lamb always with this image at the side of it. That demonstrates the origin of the Latin name "Agnus" - Lamb (Agnès). The palm in her hand means that it is a martyr. It was one of first martyrs of the christian church. Anyway her history is redressed in many legends and possibly as invented by the church of then, though there exists information that would affirm that her history was written three hundred years after her death and that they would confirm her existence, with an excessively distorted history. In any case the tradition says that she died to a nearby age of fourteen.

The image of Our Lady of the "Rosario" is one of the most ancient of this church, it belongs to the XIXth century. it was one of those that were not destroyed in the spanish civil war. At the beginning of the decade of the ´30th s a teacher was destined to this locality from Valencia. He could verify personally the damages that the war caused in the church, images and altarpieces and due the lack of resources, he decided to restore them himself, and when ended every little restoration, the pupils and him were celebrating it singing with all together. The same altarpieces today at the lateral chapels, are the same that he painted and restored, and today as well we can continue admiring the images as this one of Our Lady,and some others like the one of San Roque which he restored the eyes of the dog and of the image of the saint. Another story that belongs to this image is from when the church was building and a ship sinks due to a windystorm in Sant Antoni's surroundings. The boat was loaded by chariots of savina from the zone of Cala Bassa and were destined to cover the porch of this church. Two of five persons who were going on board were saved, one the priest and another nicknamed Lluc Costa "maimó" that while he was fighting against the waves, promised that if he was managing to be saved would buy a "emprendada" (set of typical local jewels of gold) for this image. On every January 21th the festivity of Saint Agnès, this image is decorated since then by the jewels that the survivor gave to Our Lady as a gratitude.

This one is another image that we owe to that teacher who restored them,as he could, when he came to this locality. This image is very curious. It is says that belongs to San Vicente Ferrer but he has beard. Very onlooker so in all the churches of Ibiza there is an image of this saint and in none of them he has beard. Maybe is a kind of misrepresentation. probably this image belongs to another Saint?.
In one of the images we see some damages in the image, due to all the violent acts committed during the sad spanish civil war.

During the first two months of the year, this church remains surrounded with almond-trees in flower. Undoubtedly one of the most important natural attractions of this village, where many people from the island and foreings are going in peregrination to enjoy the floral spectacle that is attended in this valley.

In this church, as in all of the island, exists at the exterior a Calvary (composed by three crosses). This one is very curious since that is not placed in the same building of the temple, but in the exterior wall of one of the houses in front of the church.

A few years ago in the white front of the wall placed at the West side of the temple, there were placed these blue rollers that commemorate the symbols of the Patron Saint of the village with the words in Latin of Agnus Dei " God's lamb ".

A legend tells that this church was constructed simultaneously of the neighbor Sant Mateu, and that both were competing in which one was finishing it before. The Bishop had promised to give them as a present the bell of the parish. The people in Santa Agnes were almost finished, a few walls fell down and it was necessary to start it again. They had to go very quickly because the people in Sant Mateu where almost finished. At the end both of them practically finished simultaneously, but the church of Santa Agnès was much more smaller than the one in Sant Mateo..., this may be the reason why this church is the lowest of the island. The bishop gave as a prize the bell to both parishes... In any case the dates at the real history are different in both temples, but anyway is a nice story.