Neoclassical architecture in Villanueva del Río Segura

The Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción in Villanueva del Río Segura is a neoclassical structure built in the early 19th century. Its history involves a long-standing debate between the towns of Ulea and Villanueva over which church held the superior claim, a dispute that was finally settled in favor of Ulea in 1783. Following this, efforts to promote the construction of a new temple began in 1795.

Juan de Villanueva sent the initial designs for the temple, and works commenced with funding from the Encomienda de Ricote. However, due to historical events in the first half of the 19th century, the work was paralyzed and the assets of the Church were eventually confiscated, resulting in the loss of the plans originally sent by Villanueva.

Plans from 1859 by the neoclassical architect José Ramón Berenguer are preserved, as he continued the work taking as an example the Oratorio del Caballero de Gracia, built between 1786 and 1795 by Juan de Villanueva. Work resumed in 1860 and was finalized in 1882. The interior arrangement of columns dividing the central nave from the side aisles are arranged in pairs, and the final interior work may have been completed by Justo Millán in 1891.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons