The Minister of Culture and Sports, Patricia del Pozo, visited the church of San Andrés de Granada, accompanied by the Mayor of Granada, Marifrán Carazo, and the Archbishop of Granada, José María Gil Tamayo García. The visit took place after the partial rehabilitation of this Mudejar temple, carried out with funds from the Alhambra Plan, in collaboration with the Archbishopric, as well as with the Friends of San Andrés association. Specifically, the work has allowed the bell tower, the south lateral nave, and its Plateresque facade to be restored. A new staircase to access the choir has also been built, and a side door for access to Capilla de San Andrés Street has been opened.
«The restoration project of this Mudejar temple has received an investment of over 550,000 euros from the Alhambra Plan,» stated Patricia del Pozo, in addition to the over 165,000 euros funded by the Archbishopric of Granada, and the 50,000 euros contributed by the Friends of San Antonio association. «The restoration of the San Andrés temple is an example of commitment to the defense of our heritage, as it has brought together the Andalusian Government, civil society, and religious entities,» she emphasized.
Approved by the Provincial Commission of Historical Heritage of Granada in July 2022, the works at San Andrés, carried out over 22 months from its start in May 2023, have been done «with the premise of prioritizing the Mudejar splendor of the original building over its later neoclassical transformation, while also documenting the significant alterations suffered by the temple in the 19th century as a result of the serious fire in 1818,» in Del Pozo’s words.
Among the significant actions taken, it is worth mentioning the opening of the side door to Capilla de San Andrés Street and the chipping away of the mortar coatings «which have revealed the Mudejar structure of the temple’s original construction.» Furthermore, Del Pozo mentioned, «a new staircase for choir access has been built, and interventions have been made to consolidate the tower and the main facade facing Elvira Street.» Thus, Del Pozo emphasized, «the recovery of this historically and patrimonially valuable temple, located in one of the least favored areas of Granada, has been a significant contribution to the urban regeneration strategy of the city of Granada.»
The Mayor of Granada, Marifrán Carazo, noted that this restoration was made possible «thanks to the Alhambra Plan of the Andalusian Government, the Archbishopric of Granada, and the Friends of San Andrés Association, a joint effort that not only rescues an architectural gem but also revitalizes our identity and strengthens the cultural fabric of Granada. The restoration of the Church of San Andrés is an example of the power of collaboration and love for our roots.»
«Located on the emblematic Elvira Street, the Church of San Andrés has been a silent witness to countless stories and devotions. It is here where each year our Holy Week begins, with the procession of ‘La Borriquilla,’ led by our children, who fill the streets with excitement and hope. This inauguration is an event filled with emotion, with only 34 days left until we experience a new Palm Sunday where we all focus our gaze and heart,» highlighted the Mayor.
Carazo concluded that «with this heritage recovery of one of the early temples of Christian Granada, for the enjoyment of the city and its visitors. We highlight the recovery and revitalization of the neighborhood and Elvira Street, once one of the main arteries of the city, also contributing to boosting the Bajo Albaicín.»
The agreement for this intervention was signed by the Ministry of Culture of the Andalusian Government and the Archbishopric of Granada in 2020 within the framework of the Alhambra Plan to finance three actions in the Alhambra and Generalife area for an amount of 2.1 million euros. Specifically, it was agreed to restore the organ of the Epistle of the Cathedral of Granada, nearing completion, with an investment of over a million euros (1,071,455 €); the restoration of facades and repair of roofs of the church of San Cecilio, completed last autumn (516,122 €), and the rehabilitation of the bell tower, facade, and annex nave of the church of San Andrés, with an amount of 563,545 euros.
Church of San Andrés
The parish of San Andrés was one of the first canonically erected in the Archdiocese of Granada, dating back to 1501. The church building, in Mudejar style, began construction on the site of an old mosque in 1528, becoming one of the seats of the first co-cathedral of Granada. The construction of its tower was completed in 1542. The church was located on the main entrance to the city of Granada, under the defensive arch and gate of the wall that provided access to the current Elvira Street, in the lower Albaicín neighborhood. Its Plateresque facade is a masterpiece by Juan de Marquina and is presided over by the image of the apostle San Andrés.
In 1588, due to a lightning strike, part of the tower had to be rebuilt. More than two centuries later, in 1818, it suffered a devastating fire that affected part of the central and lateral nave of the building, losing its images, altarpieces, and archive. Its reconstruction, started in 1830, led to significant alterations in its structure.
Located in one of the once most important and populous neighborhoods of the city of Granada, today this parish has a congregation affected by the depopulation of the historic center. This made the aspiration to recover the temple seem out of reach for both the parish and the Brotherhood of La Borriquilla and the Friends of San Andrés Association, created to promote the building’s rehabilitation.
So much so that the church was closed for worship for over 20 years, from the late 90s until the 2020s. It was only from then on that the Brotherhood of La Borriquilla undertook the partial recovery of the central nave in order to return to its canonical seat, which had been abandoned for over two decades. The recovery of this temple finally became a reality more than four years ago, in December 2020, with the signing of the Alhambra Plan.
In the temple, the image of the Cristo de la Salud is venerated, dating back to the 16th century and attributed to Diego de Siloé, recovered about three years ago with the support of Sacred Art grants awarded by the Ministry of Culture of the Andalusian Government.
Alhambra Plan
The Alhambra Plan was approved by the Andalusian Government at the initiative of the Ministry of Culture in December 2020, with the aim of investing the surplus of the treasury of the Nasrid monument in the recovery of heritage located in the surroundings of the monumental complex. This fulfilled, in the words of Minister Patricia del Pozo, «one of Granada’s great demands.»
The total investment of the plan exceeds 20 million euros, distributed around four collaboration agreements signed with the City Council of Granada (14.9 million euros), the University of Granada (1.3 million euros); the Archdiocese of Granada (2.1 million euros), and the Sacromonte Abbey Foundation (1.1 million euros). Also, as part of this plan, the Rodríguez Acosta Foundation has started receiving annual capital funding transfers for its operations, totaling 941,478 euros.