Mollina
A Tu Ritmo

Our Lady of the Olive Church is located in the Plaza de la Constitución and dates back to the 17th century, expanded in 1678, 1720 and at the end of the last century (1897).

The parish of Mollina begins shortly after the distribution of the lands of the City Farmhouse carried out by the Antequera City Council in 1575. In fact, in 1582 the baptism books of the Parish of Mollina begin.

The current parish church of Ntra. Sra. de la Oliva was built in 1687 – already with two naves – as stated on a tombstone next to the main altar. In 1711 the factory was in good condition and in 1720 the church was expanded again when the Chapel of the Souls was built.

It was the image of the Virgen de la Oliva, given by Fray Alonso de Santo Tomás in 1687, that changed the dedication of the church that was originally titled San Cayetano (4). The episcopal shield placed on the main altar, Epistle side, remains as a reminder of this bishop.

It was later ruined, since by Royal Order of May 1, 1896, a survey was ordered that determined that a large part of the roof, the presbytery arch and the adjoining walls were in ruins. As the church was small, it had been built a few years ago, with alms, a canopy and side wall, and the sandstone slab had been collected for the flooring of the chapel. The works were designed by Rivera Valentín and consisted of repairing the ruined parts, replacing the side wall and flooring of the temple with brick pillars.

The church currently has three naves, the central one covered with very late truss rods, separated from the lateral ones by semicircular arches on octagonal pillars, with a wooden choir rising at the foot. A semicircular triumphal arch on cruciform pillars gives way to the presbytery with a rectangular plan, very narrow, covered with a half-barrel vault, transverse to the axis of the church, with fascias on plates, crossing in the central section with another barrel that determines This is a groin vault. Opening to it is an octagonal chamber with pilasters at the corners covered with a hemispherical vault with thick ribs. Below this and behind the chancel is a rectangular sacristy in which the presbytery cover is repeated.

The side naves also end at the head in separate chambers, the one on the Gospel side being semi-spherical and the one on the Epistle side being ultra-semi-circular. These naves are structured in square sections covered with a groin vault, separated by transoms on cut plates.

To the penultimate sections of the Gospel nave (on the left) open two square chapels covered with a hemispherical vault on pendentives decorated with plasterwork and segmented by eight ribs with naturalistic hanging decoration that emerge from a central medallion. They are dedicated to the Sorrowful Virgin and Jesus of the Sweet Name and it is their dedication that determines the change in the decoration, since the respective symbology is reflected in oval medallions supported or crowned by scallops between fleshy acanthus of plasticity similar to those of the convent’s dressing room. of the Victory of Malaga. These plasterwork from the Antequera circle can be dated to the first quarter of the 18th century.

In one of these chapels – the baptismal one – there is a good basin of galloned red limestone cup from Torcal from the 18th century. It also has a simple choir at the entrance. On the outside, the façade of the foot was restored around the mid-seventies with a “Babylonian” belfry that largely belies its primitive features.