BENISSA HAS A NEO-GOTHIC TREASURE

Benissa is one of those hidden treasure towns that resides on the Costa Blanca. You must find the parking lot on the backside of the town, get out of your car and begin your journey.

PICASSO'S PERVASIVE MOTHER AND CHILD PAINTINGS

The most consistently reproduced subject in all of art history, especially Western art, is the theme of the Mother and Child. The earliest recorded representation and most recognised Mother and Child is the Byzantine icon of Mary and Jesus. These icon paintings were worshipped by both Catholic and Orthodox churches.

Picasso was raised Catholic and knew the emotive power of the Mother and Child image. These works throughout his life are some of my favourites. They are all different, depending on what visual form he was experimenting with. 

Let’s take a look at a couple of them and contemplate Picasso’s diverse styles added to this powerful, universal theme of Mother and Child.

GRAND SCALE CHURCH BRINGS CLASSICAL BEAUTY AND HISTORICAL LEGACY TO OLIVA

FRONT and BACK

Oliva is a lovely and vibrate town on the edge of the Valencian province in the Safor territory that has a very beautiful, classy and colossal neo-classical church in its core.

The parish Church of Santa María la Mayor represents the historical, cultural and intellectual evolution of the Valencia region in its architecture.

BEAUTIFUL BAROQUE MASTERPIECE SHOWS OFF ITS ARTISTIC PECULIARITY IN PEDREGUER

In Pedreguer sits the Parish Church of the Holy Cross (Iglesia de la Santa Cruz). It has taken me several months to get inside this church, as I kept going at the wrong times. It is a popular church and not a tourist monument, so one must go when it is open for the congregation to enjoy their mid day mass. I have discovered that 11:30 is the best time to get inside these historical works of artistic architectural brilliance.

When I arrived, a well dressed elderly lady took my hand and asked my interest in "her" church. I explained that I was a fine arts historian and teacher upon which she welcomed me and explained that "her" church was "very important".

I agreed and began my search to find out the artistic secret that makes this church so famous!

VALENCIAN BAROQUE MASTERWORK BOASTS GREATEST FRESCO ART IN SPAIN

The Parish Church of San Nicolás de Bari and San Pedro Mártir in Valencia is home to one of the greatest wonders of fresco painting that Spain has to offer.  This historical parish church is located in the city center and because of an extensive restoration in 2016, this church of worship has now become a tourist and cultural showcase that is being hailed as "The Sistine Chapel of Valencia".

This accolade is not completely logical because San Nicolás is a church with a single nave of six sections, twelve buttress side chapels (two of them are occupied by lateral entrance doors) and a glorious polygonal presbytery facing east. The Sistine Chapel, on the other hand is only a single "chapel" in the Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the Pope (Vatican City).

In any case, one statement holds truth in the fact that San Nicolás is indeed one of the best examples of the coexistence of 15th century Valenician Gothic architecture revamped into a 17th century spectacular Valencian Baroque masterpiece.

MARVEL IN THE MYSTERY AND FACE THE FAMOUS RELIC OF ALICANTE

Spain is indeed a marvelous place to explore religious relics. An adventurous traveler does not need to be absolutely devoted to a relic to discover its resting place, however on your journey you can be enlightened by the marvelous art and architecture that surrounds it.

One such great example, is the Catholic relic of the Santa Faz (Holy Face) protected and venerated in the Santa Faz monastery, which is located in the municipal district of Alicante city called Santa Faz. This relic is the object of a yearly pilgrimage, which gathers more than 260,000 relic friendly folks.

Since visiting monasteries and relic hunting are both great ways to spend a Sunday morning, off I went to witness the historical past and marvel in some mystery for myself.

PONDER PROVINCIAL PRIDE FROM MEDIEVAL TO MODERN IN MURLA

Castle fortress and architecture aficionados will truly enjoy a trip into the mountains of the Marina Alta for a closeup look at a proudly preserved parish church that speaks to a precarious medieval past. Documents state that this castle/fort became a Christian parish church in 1317.

Murla's architectural structures range from medieval to modern and its historical past has been plagued with cultural and structural grievances. This all combines to make Mural a very interesting place to visit.

DECORATIVE AND DISTINCTLY HISPANIC IN SUECA

One of the most original, romantic and stylishly Spanish architectural genres of the late 19th century modernist movement is the decorative and distinctly Hispanic "Neomudéjar" style. Its enduring characteristic use of bricks, as the main constructive element, gives this architectural method its versatility and the power to be pretty.

ANNA'S SPECTACULAR STRUCTURE IS A SERIES OF HISTORICAL MILESTONES

Anna is a peaceful town in the Valencian hinterland along the Sellent river. It is a pleasant village away from everything and everyone where you can easily walk about seeking unpretentious scenic spaces. What you will find are lots of life affirming water channels crossing streets and sprouting forth from fountains. This abundance of multiple water sources gives origin to this town's Almohade name of "Yanna ", which means "water garden".

There is however, a spectacular grandiose structure of a castle palace that is an architectural milestone of continuous glorious history and purposeful restoration. Once a dilapidated worthless structure, today the Counts of Cervelló Palace is a prominent vestige of Anna's past and pride.

The history of this special palace marks a pendulum of abandonment and restoration as it moved from one famous owner to another and finally to a devoted town mayor whose actions from 1995 to 2007 give us the marvel that we explore today.