View of the Sanctuary of the Virgin of the Angels, Sant Mateu

Hermitage with a beautiful view.

Interesting architectural ensemble dating from the 16th to the 18th centuries, made up of the church, the inn, the viewpoint, the well and other annexed buildings.Devotion to the patron saint of Sant Mateu, the Virgin of the Angels, began in 1584, when the hermit Sebastián found an image of the Virgin in the concavity of the altar of the hermitage of San Antonio, prior to the current one.Important dates in the history of the monumental complex are October 25, 1585 with the donation by Vicente Cerdà of the hermitage and mount to the Juries of Sant Mateu, the creation in 1866 of the Sociedad del Olivar y Redonda de Nª. Mrs. de los Ángeles and the purchase on April 13, 1866 of the property disentailed and auctioned in 1865, the fire that destroyed the interior of the hermitage on December 13, 1918, the blessing on June 26, 1921 by Pope Benedict XV of the new image carved in Carrara marble, the arrival of the new image in Sant Mateu on April 30, 1924, its enthronement on September 27, 1925 and the celebration of the 4th Centenary in 1984.The festival of the Virgen de los Ángeles is celebrated on the second Saturday after Easter.In this location, a hermitage dedicated to San Antonio Abad and San Pablo Hermitaño existed since the 15th century. It was absorbed by the new church built from 1590 and completed in 1622. The hostelry, a building in the shape of an "ele" attached to the hermitage, was completed in 1590.It is a church with Renaissance architecture and Baroque decoration from the 17th century. Its central nave is covered with a vault. It has side chapels, transept, dome, choir, sacristy and dressing room, where the image of the owner is venerated. The worked doorway of the church consists of a semicircular arch and archivolts with reliefs representing figures of angels. Two pilasters decorated with geometric motifs flank the arch.Key dates for the construction of the hermitage are the construction of the apse from 1590 to 1600, the construction of the rest of the church complex from 1602 to 1622 by Lázaro de Reinaga and Bernardo Cumba, the reform with the construction of the transept and the crenellated wall in 1685, the decoration of the interior from 1690 to 1693 and the construction of the bell tower from 1725 to 1730.Interesting and very nice place to visit, with excellent views of the town and a bar/restaurant.