Step Back in Time to Iglesia del Salvador's Arco de Triunfo Portico: A

The Iglesia del Salvador, located at Calle Mayor 2 in Caravaca de la Cruz, Spain, has over 700 years of history. It stands as the largest church and an important religious structure in this town, which is the capital of the Noroeste comarca in Murcia. Construction of the current building began in 1526, inspired by the rapid expansion of Caravaca during the 16th century. The ecclesiastical parishes can be traced back to 1344, when a small hermitage named Santa María la Real or del Castillo was built while Caravaca was under the Order of Santiago.

Between 1498 and 1507, the original church underwent several expansion works. A new church was proposed to be built outside the fortified walls in 1526. The Santísimo Sacramento was moved from the current Soledad to El Salvador in 1573. The unique lateral portico (now the main entrance), resembling an Arco de Triunfo, was constructed in two phases. The first phase took place between 1573 and 1577, under Pedro de Antequera's leadership. The second phase, involving the completion of part of the upper gallery, took place between 1655 and 1657, under the guidance of Juan Garzón Soriano.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons