The Archpriest Basilica of La Purísima Concepción

The Archpriest Basilica of “La Purísima Concepción”, or “Iglesia
Nueva” (New Church) was built in two stages; starting in 1775 by José López, who designed
the plans and the second stage, after a period of interruption, by Jerónimo Ros, who finished its
construction in 1868 and was responsible for building the emblematic dome of the Basilica.
It has a Neoclassical Style; although due to its great size could be considered to be a building of
the 16th century.
The temple has a Latin-cross ground plan, with three naves, separated by semicircular arches
and with hemispheric banked dome over the crossing and chapels in the buttress, next to the
“Capilla de la Comunión” (Communion Chapel). The central nave is 50m long and the crossed
one is 40m. We must emphasize the hemispheric dome built with blue and white glazed tiles, and
decorated in a spiral. The high altar is made of “brecha de Andalucía” marble and the subjects
of the front part are about the “bread and fish multiplication”, the pulpit has been restored, being
the original one and placed in the central nave, by the “epístola”. The floor of the church still has
the original marble tiles; in a symmetrical grey and white chess board. We can gain access to
the church through three gates, two on both sides at the end of the crossed nave with a similar
frame, one of them having a great stained glass window and the other gate at the end of the
central nave has some stairs, due to the different ground level; this was originally thought to be
the main façade.
The Communion Chapel, Neoclassical style, has a great high-relief medallion at the entrance,
where the theme of the Eucharist is represented. Inside this chapel we can notice its polygonal
plan within a decagon with small windows for the purpose of lighting. We must highlight a retable
with the image of the “Sagrado Corazón de Jesús” (Jesus’ Holy Heart) and a kneeling Christ with
his arms wide open at the base of the Cross by José Esteve Bonet.
Almost all the sculptures and painting works in the church were made after the Spanish Civil War,
as some important works of art were lost at this time; even so, there are still some important
works of art to be found in the church today.
Among these we find, in the presbytery, an image of the “Purisima” Virgin (centre) and the Four
Evangelists. In the nave next to the Gospel, there is a Neo-Baroque retable of Saint Joseph in the
first chapel, in the second one there is a modern retable with the image of Saint “Cayetano” in
the centre, Saint “Pancracio” on the left and Saint “Isidro” on the right; in the third one “Del Pilar”
Virgin in the centre, with the Virgin of “Fátima” to the left and Baby Jesus to the right.
In the nave of the “epístola”, there is an image of the Virgin “de la Aurora” in the first chapel, with
an image of Saint “Domingo” and The Resurrection Christ to the left, and a painting of the Virgin
“de la Aurora” to the right. In the second one there are some images of “María Auxiliadora”, Saint
Anthony, Saint “José de Calasanz” and Saint “Pascual”.
At the back of the “Imafronte” are the Mercy Christ and the Ecce Homo Christ. In the ambulatory
we can see in the first chapel The Virgin “del Carmen”, the second image is Our Father Jesus with
an altar, in the third one there is a sculptural group altar of the “Virgin of the Anguishes” by the
sculptor Francisco Salzillo (1764), an old exponent of the imagery that we have in the municipali
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ty of Yecla. The fourth chapel altar with the image of Saint Peter, the fifth one is the Communion
Chapel, The sixth one is the image of the Virgin “de las Ánimas”. The penultimate is the plaster
image of Saint “Blas” and the last one is the previous room to the Sacristy