ORATORY OF ROSER VELL

The Oratory of Roser Vell probably built in the fourteenth century, this chapel dedicated to the Our Lady of the Rosary today reflects the design it acquired in the nineteenth century.

The exact construction date of this chapel is unknown. It is often said to be the fourteenth century, although its current design dates from the late nineteenth century. What is for sure is that Our Lady of the Rosary, known as the patron saint of victories, was worshipped at this chapel from the outset.

The first two side chapels, dedicated to Our Lady of Good Remedy and Our Lady of Sorrows, were built between 1500 and 1525, after which more side chapels were added to make the ten we can see today.

One of the most striking features of this chapel is a Baroque-style (1) altarpiece created in 1651 by Mallorcan sculptor Joan Antoni Oms, which includes a carving of Our Lady from the thirteenth or fourteenth century. You can also see a Baroque organ built in 1732 by Valencian organist Luis Navarro, which is one of the most quintessential examples of eighteenth-century church organ design.

(2) Baroque-style: A term identified with a cultural movement and artistic style dating approximately from the seventeenth to mid-eighteenth century, characterised by excessive ornamentation. In fact, the concept was coined by its critics using the French word 'baroque', one translation of which is 'extravagant', referring to what they considered was an excess on the part of certain artists. As a style, it followed Renaissance and preceded Neoclassicism, first catching on in Italy and then spreading to the rest of Europe.