Camí de Mestral

Parish Church of Saint James

Parish Church of Saint James

A unique temple where Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque styles blend, featuring a 19th-century church built around an older one, creating a majestic sight.
The Parish Church of Sant Jaume de Tivissa, declared a Cultural Asset of National Interest (BCIN) in 2014, is a magnificent temple where Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles blend. The most curious and peculiar feature is the 19th-century construction of the new church around the old one, so that one lies inside the other, perfectly visible and with great majesty. The entire complex of the Church of Sant Jaume was built in three stages. From the 13th century onwards, the Gothic church was built, featuring a rectangular chancel and a vaulted choir with five bays supported on trompes at the corners. Between the 16th and 17th centuries, Father Jaume Amigó completed the Gothic nave, built the choir at the nave's foot, the side chapels, the two portals and the bell tower, following a Renaissance design. On the left side of the nave, and extending beyond the medieval wall, Josep Ribera erected the Rosary Chapel in the second third of the 18th century. In 1859, the rector, Pere Rius, began the construction of a new church on top of the existing one. New, higher vaults were built over those of the old temple, covering the entire old church, so that one is inside the other, a feature that makes this magnificent temple unique.