Church of Saint Catherine

The church of Santa Catalina is located in Carrizosa, in the urban center of a town in the north of Campo de Montiel characterized by its irregular layout and an unusual topography within the region.

Its presence is part of the town's most recognizable profile and constitutes one of its main heritage landmarks.

Beyond its religious function, the temple is integrated into the everyday landscape of Carrizosa as one of the spaces that best express the historical and artistic identity of the population.

The history of the church must be understood in relation to the evolution of Carrizosa itself. The current town center was consolidated from the Late Middle Ages onwards, after the definitive abandonment of the old castle, in the vicinity of the hermitage of the Virgin of Salido, in 1468 and the relocation of the settlement to the banks of the Cañamares River. In this process of reorganizing the population, the parish church became one of the essential buildings of the new town. Although the available information on its construction phases is limited, the church has maintained its role as the religious center of the community and, in the 20th century, was enriched with one of its most unique features: the pictorial program executed in 1942 by Jesús Velasco Espinosa, The artist was originally from Moral de Calatrava. These paintings were later restored in the first decade of the 21st century, an intervention that altered part of the original work in the area of the main altar.

From an architectural point of view, the church of Santa Catalina consists of a single nave articulated on four stone arches, with the cemetery attached to its west side. Its greatest appeal lies within, where it preserves some striking frescoes on the ceiling and the main altar. They represent the Saint Catherine's Ascension to Heaven, while in the ceiling appear the four evangelists accompanied by their symbols, along with other scenes such as the Last Supper or the image of Jesus as a shepherd.

This collection of paintings gives the temple a very distinctive character and makes the visit a particularly interesting experience within the religious heritage of Carrizosa.