Location Ceuta Phone +34 956 51 11 72 | Denomination Roman Catholic | |
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Address Calle O'Donnell, 2, 51001 Ceuta, Spain Similar Casa de los Dragones, Parque Marítimo del Medit, Ceuta Cathedral, Ermita de San Antonio, Arab Baths | ||
The Church of Santa María de África is a Roman Catholic church in the Spanish city of Ceuta which is located in a small Spanish exclave on the north coast of Africa.
History
The history of the church goes back to a picture sent by Henry the Navigator. He said that he thought the picture holy and he named it as Santa Maria in Africa.
The first hard evidence of the church date from 1676 when it is mentioned in building work and then again in 1697. Under Bishop Don Martin de Barcia the church was internally decorated with paintings and both bells and the altarpiece were installed. We know that Barcia was still Bishop when the church was consecrated on 5 August 1752. The altarpiece is decorated with a large sculpture of Mary with Christ which is traditionally carved from a single piece of wood.