The parish church of Bullas, the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Rosario
The main church of Bullas was built in the 18th and 19th centuries
The parish church of Bullas dominates the Plaza de España in the centre of the town, and has been one of the most recognizable landmarks in the municipality ever since its construction. It was awarded the status of National Monument in 1982 and is one of the most recognisable buildings in the municipality.
The building of the church was started in the final years of the 17th century, following the episode in which the residents of Bullas were accused by those of Cehegín of stealing a slab of marble with which to create their own font. This eventually led in 1689 to Bullas being granted its independence from the authorities in Cehegín (see history of Bullas), and with the construction of a place of worship being one of their main priorities the church was completed in the year 1723.
The new building replaced a smaller one dedicated to San Antonio Abad which was no longer sufficient to serve a population of 850, and the decision to dedicate the new church to Nuestra Señora del Rosario was made after a democratic vote among the leading residents of the town, with the name beating off a not very strong challenge from “San Bartolomé” by 28 votes to one.
Contemporary documentation reveals that the man in charge of the initial building project was Francisco Bastida, and that the design closely follows the parameters which were the norm in the Region of Murcia in the 18th century.
During the 18th century the population of Bullas continued to grow to around 3,000, despite a series of setbacks including plagues and epidemics, and by 1803 it was necessary to make the parish church bigger in order to accommodate the growing congregation. This provided an opportunity to add neo-classical features to the design, and the complex was rounded off by the addition of the baroque tower which now presides over the main square of the town.
The Sagrario chapel was added later, in 1905.
As was the case with countless churches throughout Spain, a large amount of the artistic heritage which was at one point housed inside the church of Bullas was either destroyed or stolen during the Civil War (1936-39), but fortunately the parish archives were left intact, as were various items of religious imagery including the figure of San Juan Evangelista, which dates from 1925 and was created in the style of Francisco Salzillo.
The figure of the patron, Nuestra Señora del Rosario, was not so fortunate, and a new sculpture was installed in the 1940s over the main altar before being complemented in 1949 by a new gold leaf altar screen.
For more local news, events and other information consult the Bullas section of Murcia Today.
