Plaza de San Miguel Bajo
This church and the plaza which stands in front of it are called "low" because there is another San Miguel - San Miguel Alto - on a mountain overlooking the city, which is even higher!
The church is remarkable for the Moorish fountain embedded in its flank, telling us that it was once a mosque. And the fountain itself is curious because its two marble columns are... Roman!
If we step inside the nave, we can see the brick vault which covers the cistern, jutting out of the floor.
Truly, this church is a unique example of what a restauration can be, when lovingly performed by experts. Unfortunately it only opens on Sunday mornings at 12.30, for Mass.
The crucifix on the far side of the plaza, traditionally called the Christ of the Lilies - Cristo de las Acucenas - is better known for the iron clamps which hold the limbs and torso together. The Christ was torn off the cross and smashed by the Republican soldiers during the Civil War, but the people hid the pieces in their homes until they could be put together again, with the clamps - after which the statue took on its popular nickname, the Cristo de las Lañas - "Christ of the Clamps".
