San Feliu Jativa

One of the region's finest religious buildings, lovely and evocative San Feliu  is set among olives and cypresses below the walls of Jativa's historic castle. A must for fans of early architecture, this ancient church stands on the site of a 7thcentury palaeo Christian church, the seat of the Visigothic bishopric. The present building, one of the oldest in Valencia, was erected in the 1250s on the orders of Jaime I, soon after his expulsion of the Moors. It has a single nave, split by four massive arches, and architecturally is surprisingly similar to Syrian churches of the same date. Only rarely used now for services, the church's walls are hung with superb Spanish Renaissance religious paintings, mainly from nearby churches and monasteries.

Some are sadly in need of restoration, but the colours and gilding still glow. The altarpiece was commissioned at the end of the 15th century and shows scenes from the life of Christ and the Virgin, flanked by images of Saints Cosmas and Damian, two early saints, and Saint Blaise, the patron saint of sore throats. The holy water stoup is carved with scenes from the Nativity, including a shepherd leading two rather charming pig-like sheep. Along the external entrance walls runs a loggia, its roof supported by six Roman columns.