Parish Church of Santa Elena

Monument

Plaza de la Constitución, 10. 23213, Santa Elena How to get

The parish church of Santa Elena was built in 1793 on the site of an old medieval chapel, erected to commemorate the Christian victory at the battle of Navas de Tolosa.

Built of plastered and painted masonry, its simple facade, of reduced dimensions, speaks a classicist language: a light staircase emphasises the entrance door, consisting of a semicircular arch on imposts, flanked by Tuscan pilasters, which give way to an entablature ending in a triangular pediment with oculi on each side. Above the cornice of this first body stands a graceful belfry, with a pyramid-shaped structure on three levels, with pinnacles at the ends and semicircular holes for bells. The sword underlines its hierarchy, making it the tallest building in the square. 

Inside, it has a single boxed nave, covered with a half-barrel vault and double lunettes on the sides. The presbytery opens with a toral arch and there are also niches formed by Tuscan columns, entablature and a triangular pediment. This space is covered with a groin vault and is illuminated by two large windows in the form of circles. The head is presided over by the sculptural image of the patron saint, Saint Helen, between Doric columns that support an entablature and a curved pediment.