Here you will find the must-see places and recommendations for activities and experiences to make sure you get the very most out of your trip to Navarre.
Corella still conserves traces of its multicultural past, although most of the historical constructions in the town are in the baroque style. In Calle San Miguel, next to the palace of the Arrese family, and defined by its rococo decoration in pastel tones, stands one of the best examples of this ostentatious art: the church of San Miguel, considered the most important baroque church in Navarre.
Of mediaeval origin, it is the oldest parish church in Corella. Its present appearance is due to successive extensions and reformations carried out in the 17th and 18th centuries that gave the building a strong baroque air. A groined vault, a gilded patina covering the exuberant decoration, or the combination of stone and brick in its construction, lead the visitor into an epoch of splendour and elegance.
In a humble house opposite the church of San Miguel, a plaque commemorates the place where the writer and journalist Mariano José de Larra (1809-1837) lived when his father was a doctor in Corella.
The main façade, again combining stone and brick, rises from the foot of the church. Two spectacular towers protect a stony front in the form of an altar piece. With a semicircular arch between classical pilasters, entry to the church is crowned by a niche that contains a Renaissance sculpture of St Michael.
The structure of the church consists of three naves with a pentagon-shaped east end and transept. The choir stands above the central nave. Groined vaults cover the sections of the naves. Worthy of mention is the profuse and rich decoration in which gold stands out: corbels with rich foliage and cherubs' heads grouped at the mouth of the triumphal arch, and angels that sustain the coat of arms ofCorella. Around the ring of the dome, and illuminated by light from the upper openings, are St Michael and other angels that fights against devils who, defeated, seem to fall down towards the presbytery, thus linking the different inner spaces of the church in a completely theatrical way. A typically baroque solution.
The interior of the church contains a set of altar pieces, most of them from the 18th century, including the monumental main altar piece. It was a modernist style for its era because it included new features that great artists such as Churriguera were introducing in Madrid at the time. It is a sculpture full of rhythm and movement, determined by its exuberant and fine decoration: panels, corbels with plant motifs, trophies, garlands of flowers and heads of cherubs... plus giant columns, angels and niches with images of saints - Santa Monica is the best carving in the set - complete the composition and create a colossal effect. The result is one of the most important baroque altar pieces in Navarre.
The baroque appearance of the church is highlighted by a number of other features such as the pulpits, the seats in the choir and the organ, all of them from the 18th century, or its rich collection of precious metals. However, among the oldest works we would highlight the Gothic 15th-century crucifix or the small but high-quality carving of the Virgin Mary. Definitely, an essential place to experience the purest baroque style.
San Miguel de Corella
