Parish church of Sant Bartomeu

Religious | Sóller

n the Plaza de la Constitución, at number 22, dominating the square, stands the Parish church of Sant Bartomeu, a building erected in different stages of construction, evident in the various different remains that can be seen around it. The original church was built before 1236, undergoing various modifications throughout the centuries. On the side façade on the calle del Born is the old entrance to the medieval church, with a walled-up semicircular doorway; in calle de Joan Baptista Ensenyat, you can still make out a large Romanesque gabled window; and on the exterior, remains can be seen of the 16th century walled fortification, built as a consequence of the most devastating Turkish assault that the town of Sóller suffered in 1561. The interior still boasts very beautiful Gothic and Baroque altarpieces. The church seen today is a Baroque structure (1688-1733), with an art nouveau façade designed in 1904 by the Catalan architect and Gaudí disciple, Joan Rubió i Bellver. The new façade starts from the entrance atrium consisting of three ogival arches, flanked by two angels sheltering the statue of San Bartolomé, patron saint of the city, and crowned by a staggered structure. The result is a façade of Neo-Gothic inspiration, with the greyish colour of the Sóller limestone catching your attention, with its rough or rustic treatment, giving the façade an interesting texture. At number 21 of this square is the Bank of Sóller, which was built in 1889 in order to safeguard the capital accumulated by the emigrants returning from France and the Americas. It is the work of the same architect who designed the façade of the parish church, Joan Rubió i Bellver. The building was renovated in 1910-1912 with the same rustic treatment as the parish church façade, as if it were a continuation of that building. Distinctive features are the original design of the openings, the projecting double balcony in the style of Gaudí, the circular doorway and the meticulous ironwork on the windows in complicated curved forms.