The Secrets of Our Lady of Mercy

More than just one of the most striking features of Alpuente’s skyline, the Church of Our Lady of Mercy is a part of that very sky… but on earth. It is the soul of the town. A record of its changes over time. The voice that awakens its identity with every toll of the bell. A sacred space built upon what was once also a sacred mosque. A temple that stands atop the town with the authority bestowed by the centuries and the territory of that former border between the kingdoms of Aragon and Castile.

Its construction, begun in the second third of the 13th century during the early stages of Christian colonization, continued into the 14th century in parallel with the town’s royal administrative organization. Master builders and architects captured the final touches of the Romanesque style in its walls while gradually incorporating elements of the innovative Gothic aesthetic, which in the Valencian region developed its own distinct Mediterranean character. The arches of the entrance gate point upward toward Glory, while the semicircular arches are stylized by the light streaming through the openings of the tower and the bell tower...

Well, the bell tower—a sonic beacon for the La Serranía region—is a distant mirror image of Valencia’s great Micalet. It stands to one side of the building, distinguished by its octagonal floor plan and the proportional balance between its perimeter and height. At the base, built with large stone blocks, you can still make out the marks or signatures left by the medieval stonemasons as they worked on them, because the tower itself is already like a small miracle of history—a stone survivor of fires and the artillery of wars and conflicts. And then there are the bells—the large ones and the small ones—with their voices and that language that echoes through valleys and ravines. It is a true auditory spectacle to hear the Mater Purísima and the extraordinary Nuestra Señora de la Piedad—cast in 1865 by the Valencian master Manuel Quiles, as detailed by Francesc Llop (2007) for the Associació de Campaners—dancing through the air.

The exterior of the church is a delight and a stimulus for the senses, and the interior… the interior is faith; it is the mystery of the immaterial, the meaning of human existence. Upon crossing the porticoed threshold, a single nave opens up to contemplation and the peace of the spirit, reflecting the revitalized classicism of the 19th century, an artistic leap spanning several centuries that takes us back to the early days of the Carlist Civil War and a terrible fire that, around 1840, completely destroyed the ceilings and altars of the original church. The result of its reconstruction is the large rounded vault we see today, although its medieval essence remains as a testament to time; hidden behind the main altar, stones blackened by the smoke of that fire and ancient arches still stand, revealing what the original church looked like. These are just a few of the many secrets held by the Archpriestal Church of Our Lady of Mercy, designated a Site of Local Significance by the Valencian Regional Government. The building itself is significant, with its valuable works of art—though some are now located elsewhere. And its significance to the people of Alpont is profound; beyond their faith, they have made it a symbol of their own identity.