Main Church of the Incarnation

Main Church of the Incarnation (Iglesia Mayor de la Encarnación) is the principal parish church of Motril, a coastal city in the province of Granada on Spain's Costa Tropical. Standing at the heart of the old town, it has anchored the city's main square for more than five centuries.

When was the church built?

Construction began on 8 November 1510, shortly after the conquest of the region by the armies of the Catholic Monarchs. The building rose on the site of the former Alixara mosque and a cluster of Moorish houses that once stood beside it. The Granada-based master builder Alonso Márquez oversaw the works, which were largely finished by 1514. Laying out the church also reshaped the town itself: the main square was redrawn along Castilian lines, and the principal civic buildings were grouped around it.

What architectural style does it show?

The original structure was a restrained Gothic-Mudéjar temple: a single rectangular nave carried on massive arches, four pairs of side chapels set between the buttresses, and a slightly wider main chapel. Around 1603 the architect Ambrosio de Vico drew up plans for a Classicist transept extension, work that altered much of the church's earlier Mudéjar character.

Why does the church look like a fortress?

From the outside, the building reads more like a stronghold than a place of worship — and for good reason. Motril's coast was long exposed to raids by pirates and corsairs, so during the 16th century two casemate towers were added to the church, designed by the military engineer Luis Machuca. Only one of them survives today: the Torre de la Vela, a Mudéjar watchtower built directly on the foundations of the minaret that once belonged to the mosque previously standing on the site.

What has survived, and what was lost?

The church's history includes real damage. On 21 January 1938, during the Spanish Civil War, a nearby gunpowder store exploded, destroying the main chapel and much of the 17th-century extension. Reconstruction continued until 1943, but the authorities chose not to rebuild every element added after the Renaissance period, so today's building largely reflects its earlier, 16th-century form. Despite these losses, the Main Church of the Incarnation remains one of the few churches in Spain that combined a religious and a defensive role in a single structure, and it is recognized as a site of significant historical heritage in Andalusia.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the Main Church of the Incarnation located? It stands in the center of Motril, a coastal city in the province of Granada, in the area known as the Costa Tropical.

Who designed the church? The original Gothic-Mudéjar building was designed in the early 16th century by the Granada master builder Alonso Márquez; the later transept extension was designed by the architect Ambrosio de Vico.

Why does the church have a defensive tower? The Torre de la Vela was built in the 16th century as part of the coastal defenses against pirate and corsair raids, standing on the foundations of the former mosque's minaret.

Has the building survived in its original form? Not entirely — in 1938 an explosion at a nearby gunpowder store destroyed the main chapel and part of the 17th-century extension. Reconstruction lasted until 1943, and the destroyed Baroque-era additions were never rebuilt.