Description of the attraction
Not far from the famous castle of Santa Barbara in Alicante is the Church of the Virgin Mary, which is one of the oldest and most important churches in the city. Traditionally for that time, the church was erected on the site of a destroyed mosque. The time of its construction dates back to the 15-16th centuries. The church was built as a symbol of the Spanish victory over the Moors and liberation from Muslim rule. The church was originally built in the Gothic style, but later the main altar of the church and the beautiful portal with the image of Our Lady were rebuilt in the Baroque style.
Right next to the church, on the eponymous square of the Virgin Mary, is the city's famous Museum of Contemporary Art, which is rightfully considered one of the most significant cultural sites in Alicante. Here you can find an amazing collection of 20th century works of art, represented by painting, sculpture, graphics. The basis of the collection was donated to the museum by the great Spanish sculptor, painter and graphic artist Eusebio Sempere. The museum's collection includes 177 works by such great artists of the 20th century as Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, Joan Miró, Wassily Kandinsky, Marc Chagall and others. In addition, the museum exhibits a collection of works by Eusebio Sempere himself, which was bought by the City Council after the artist's death, in 1996. The collection includes 101 works by the great master and includes works of the early period, represented by drawings in watercolors and oil canvases, as well as late chrome steel sculptures created by the artist in the 70s of the 20th century.
