Iglesia de la Preciosa Sangre

Iglesia de la Preciosa Sangre tickets: which one to buy

The church closes the top of the square of San Jorge in the walled old town of Caceres, and the twin white towers above the steps are the image most visitors take away from the city. Entry to the church is free; the tower climb is ticketed and inexpensive and is the reason to go. From the top you look across the entire monumental quarter, a dense field of stone towers and tiled roofs with almost nothing modern in view, which is exactly why this town is used so often as a film location.

Walking tours of the old town include the square and explain the noble families whose towers surround it. The town is small enough to see in a day and is a comfortable stop between Madrid and Portugal. Combined tickets exist for several of the aristocratic houses and the museum; buy at the tourist office on the main square. The old town has no through traffic, so leave a car at the edge and walk in through one of the gates.

Visiting Iglesia de la Preciosa Sangre: what to see

The church was built by the Jesuits in the eighteenth century, alongside their college, and it is known locally both as San Francisco Javier and as the church of the Precious Blood, after the brotherhood that has used it since the order was expelled in 1767. The front is whitewashed with stone dressings and two square bell towers, which makes it stand out sharply against the grey granite of everything around it; the wide flight of steps below was built to give the facade the theatrical approach it needed.

Inside, the plan is a single nave with side chapels and a dome over the crossing, plainly decorated compared with the exterior. Processional images used in the Holy Week parades are kept here. The stairs up the towers are narrow and open at the top, and a small cafe operates in the building, which is unusual and welcome. The brotherhood keeps its processional floats in a room off the nave, and they can be seen through a glazed screen.

Iglesia de la Preciosa Sangre opening hours and the best time to go

Caceres is very hot from June to September, and the old town, with its stone surfaces and no traffic, holds the heat into the evening; spring and autumn are far better. Easter here is a serious affair, with processions through the walled town at night and the squares full for a week. The world music festival in May brings stages into the old quarter and is one of the largest of its kind in Europe.

The tower closes earlier than the church and shuts in high wind. Evenings are when the old town is floodlit and at its most striking, and the square below fills with tables. The walled quarter is entirely stone underfoot and steep in places. Allow twenty minutes in the church and as long again on the tower. Storks nest on the towers across the square from spring onwards and are a fixture of the skyline here.