CHURCH OF OUR LADY

A 17th-century church in the Gothic style, featuring pointed arches, Baroque altarpieces and an organ dating from 1846. Of particular note are its star-shape...

This 17th-century church attracts considerable interest, mainly for its predominantly Gothic style though it also incorporates elements from later periods, many added during restoration after the severe fire of 1813. The church has a Latin cross plan with a single nave. At the west end are the parish house, the tower with an internal staircase, and a small octagonal baptistery. The nave is covered with ribbed vaults in four sections, and the chancel features star-shaped tracery that catches the eye immediately. On the exterior, a wooden-roofed porch shelters the main pointed-arch entrance. The tower, at the south-west corner, rises through four sections to the belfry with semicircular arches on all four sides.

The current high altarpiece is late Neoclassical, replacing the original lost in the 1813 fire; it incorporates surviving images including a 16th-century Renaissance Virgin and Child, a 17th-century Romanist carving of Saint Peter, and an early 17th-century Calvary. The Baroque altarpieces of the Virgin of the Rosary (Gospel side) and the Crucified Christ (Epistle side) both date from the 17th century. Also of note: the organ from 1846 and the medieval baptismal font, two outstanding elements reflecting the church's continuous liturgical use throughout its history.