Very close to the Bellveret viewpoint you will find l’ermita de Sant Feliu (the hermitage of Sant Feliu). It is one of the oldest churches in the Kingdom of Valencia and was built on the remains of an ancient Visigothic cathedral around 1265, shortly after the Christian conquest of Jaume I. It is undoubtedly one of the most exciting places in the city.
The side access is protected by an atrium of six marble columns, unequal to each other, from ancient Roman buildings, some with the characteristic pinky color of the nearby Buixcarró quarries. The Romanesque doorway is one of the few examples of this style that can be found in Valencia.
The diaphragmatic arches and the chapels between the buttresses in its interior respond to the architecture called of conquest. It also is home to an important collection of works of art, including a pila d’aigua beneïda (pile of holy water), made of alabaster in the thirteenth century, depicting scenes of the Nativity and the Adoration of the shepherds.
It also has a group of pintura medieval d’estilo gòtic lineal (medieval paintings in linear Gothic style), which is the largest example preserved in the Valencian Community, with figures such as St. Nicholas of Bari, the Virgin Mary enthroned and a St. Christopher.
The most outstanding piece of the interior of Sant Feliu is the great retaule major (main altarpiece), painted between the end of the 15th century and the beginning of the 16th century by the Masters of Xàtiva, Artés and Borbotó. It contains 27 paintings on panel distributed in three streets, predella and dust cover. It also has two sculptures dedicated to Sant Feliu de Girona and Sant Feliu de Lyon, as well as the coats of arms of the city and the Crown of Aragon.
Hermitage of Sant Feliu
Carretera del Castell, s / nº
Winter visiting hours
From 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Closed Monday.
Summer visiting hours
From 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.