Church

Little is known about the original church, other than that it had smaller dimensions than the current one. According to Andrés Monzón, Albalat did not have a church until 1574, with the parish reorganization carried out by Blessed Juan de Ribera. As noted by Carlos A. Prats in his book, the current church may stand on a former mosque, since the population had a large number of Moriscos until their expulsion.
The construction of the current building began in 1796 and continued until 1803. It has been restored several times since then, the most notable restoration taking place in 1886. During foundation repairs in 1988, a burial crypt was discovered containing human remains and a large amount of pottery.
The building is neoclassical, with its dome and four pendentives decorated with biblical motifs: Adam and Eve expelled from Paradise, Noah’s Ark, Jacob’s dream and Moses before the burning bush. Also notable on the façade are the stained-glass window depicting the Immaculate Conception, created by the artist Joaquín Michavila, and the bell tower.
Extracted from “Albalat dels Tarongers. An Approach to the History, Culture and Traditions of a Village” by Carlos A. Prats (1998).