CHURCH OF OUR LADY OF SOLITUDE
CHURCH OF OUR LADY OF SOLITUDE
The old Hermitage of Nuestra Señora de la Soledad (Our Lady of Solitude), which was commissioned to be built by Francisco de Tutaville and Tufo, Duke of Saint Germain and at that time Captain General of Extremadura, was consecrated on April 1, 1664 by Bishop Gerónimo de Porras. The hermitage was located partially on the premises that some houses used to occupy within the residence of the Duke´s vicinity and partially on the site where today the building of La Giralda stands upon.
Although its primitive Baroque façcade built in 18th century Portuguese marble was removed to the Children's Park where it remains to this day, the Hermitage underwent a great deal of restoration work at the beginning of the 20th century and given its state of ruin, the stutue of the Virgin was transferred to the Cathedral while the new building was being built. This new building was commissioned to the architect Martín Corral, being the foundation stone laid by the Bishop of Badajoz, Don José María Alcaraz and Alenda, on December 26th, 1931.
The construction work was finally completed on July 7th, 1935 and just on that date, the statue of the Virgin was brought in procession from the Cathedral to her new church.
The present-day Church of Our Lady of Solitude holds two overlapping chapels. The chapel on the ground floor shelters the statue of the Virgin of Solitude –as a matter of fact patron saint of the city-, that the duke himself had commissioned in 1660 to a sculptor from Naples. The upper chapel, which is of great beauty, was paid for by the Olleros Family. It is decorated in neo-Byzantine style and is replica of the throne room of King Ludwig II "The Fool" of Bavaria.
The upper chapel
The Pontifical and Royal Brotherhood and Brotherhood of Our Lady of Solitude was founded in the seventeenth century by the Duke of St. Germain and its ordinances were approved by the Royal Council of Castile in the year 1805.
