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When taking possession of a town during the Catholic conquest of Spain, it was customary to establish a Christian church in the exisitng Arab mosque. This is probably what happened to Almuñécar in 1489 but its location is still unknown, although it was probably closer to the castle. What we do know, however, is that the mosque was dismantled and used as building materials for the new church which was constructed between 1567 and 1600 on the site of the old Roman water deposit.

The church was an important and impressive work for its time, especially considering that there were less than 1000 inhabitants living in the town. It was designed by Juan de Herrera, architect to Phillip II, except for the tower which follows plans by the famous Granadan artist, Diego de Siloé, who was responsible for creating much of Granada's cathedral. Its overall style is Renaissance tending towards Baroque.

Inside is simply decorated with small chapels to either side of a wide aisle, leading to the main altar and the statue of the Virgen de la Antigua, patron saint of Almuñécar.

Probably brought from the north of the country by the conquering Christian forces, the statue is carved in the visigothic style and may well date from that era. Whatever her age, she's had a tough history. She's been protected from pirate attacks, Napoleon's troops (when she was hidden in a well) and, more recently, the rampages of Republican soldiers during the Spanish Civil War (when she was hidden in a haystack). Every year she is celebrated with a spectacular maritime procession on the Dia de la Virgen, the town's principal fiesta in August.

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