Teulada Moraira
The parish church of Santa Caterina, located in the square called Plaça d’Espanya in the town of Teulada, was built on top of an older church as a structure with a dual purpose: defensive and liturgical.
Currently, it consists of two distinct parts: the first dating back to the 16th century, and a series of expansions that took place in the 18th century. In the 18th century, the church was expanded by erecting a cross with a lowered spherical dome at the feet, aiming to give it the shape of a Latin cross as an extension of the old Gothic plan. In the mid-19th century, the new sacristy and the communion chapel, which houses a relic of the saint, were constructed. During the early 20th century, after demolishing the clock tower, a bell tower with a hexagonal plan (in mediaeval tradition) was erected, with dimensions of 24 metres in circumference at the base and a height of 31 metres.
This primitive part is presented as a single-nave temple with four sections, altars between buttresses, a pointed arch vault with tierceron ribs, and a polygonal apse with five sides and a star-shaped vault, which features the coat of arms of the parish on the keystone.
The orientation of the main altar was also changed from east to west, and the Neo-Classical style door, called Porta Nova, was opened.
Additionally, all the defensive features that this church had as a fortress disappeared. Today, it is only possible to observe some sections of the wall at the back of the temple. The church was restored in 1979.