5 Reasons Our Lady of Loreto in Javea is the Most Moving Church
Tucked in the small roads of Javea sits the Parroquia Nuestra Seรฑora de Loreto aka Our Lady of Loreto. With its spiky roof and odd, oval shaped walls; it looks like a child’s creation of a sea urchin from the outside. On the inside, Our Lady of Loreto Parish (as it’s known in English), reveals the most moving and beautiful church.
At the time I was told it was to honour those lost at sea, but I didn’t realise how deeply that message and the architecture of the church would be linked.
Here are 5 reasons why we found the Parroquia Nuestra Seรฑora de Loreto to be the most moving church:
1. Boat Shaped Roof
In order to discuss the magnificence of the church as a whole, we need to start with the boat shaped roof. This is the first, most surprising element of the church and once you look up you’ll find it difficult to look down again.
Layer upon layer of wood, mimicking the bottom of a ship, the ceiling of Our Lady of Loreto is so moving. Why? Because when you would see the bottom of a ship? Likely when you are underneath it. Typically, not a good place to be.
2. The Diamond Light
Below the roof is a circle of diamond-shaped windows. Lining the bottom of the boat like a jagged jaw, the intensity of the light shines above the altar. This dissolves as the window moves around the edge of the ceiling, immediately reminded me of sharks’ teeth or of a whale, as though the viewer is being swallowed whole.
This diamond crown could also be perceived as a crown of light instead of a crown of thorns.
3. Dripping Walls
The brutalist cement walls unusually add texture and further the narrative as they cascade from the windows down into the floor. The shadowy lines between each bench layer of concrete gives the feeling of falling; as though one is sinking away from the brightness of the surface light as though one is sinking further into the depth of the sea. Metaphorically, one could perceive it as falling into the depth of despair of the parishioners down below.
4. Wavy Banks
The lines of the pews mimic the rippling of the bottom of a seabed or river bed. As if the room’s atmosphere represents the water between surface and soil, waves above and waves below. The floor of the church is also a dark, charcoal green, reminiscent of stormy oceans.
5. Tiny Crosses and Big Forces
With the bible referencing so many water-themed stories such as Noah’s Arc and Jonah the whale, the (actually) large crucifix, which looks so small in comparison to the rest of the church, inspires 2 metaphors.
1. It hangs like a small, gold necklace lost in the big ocean.
2. It seems a futile symbol amongst the magnitude of the church. With the light moving outside, creating different shapes and tones inside, it seems a small gesture in comparison to the big ocean aka God’s might.
While I had never heard of this church before, it’s one of the most recalled memories I have of our short trip to Spain. It’s left a deep impression on me and I’m certainly very thankful I was taken to see it.