This is the first church that was built in Málaga, long before the Cathedral, where Pablo Picasso was baptized.

The vast historical and cultural heritage of Málaga is overwhelming. It is one of the Spanish provinces with the highest number of churches, but which was the first? Here, the Church of Santiago Apóstol stands out, located on the iconic Granada street. This is the oldest of the four parishes that the Catholic Monarchs ordered to be built after the conquest of the city in 1487, almost 40 years before the Cathedral of Málaga (1528). Founded on July 25, 1490, it was erected on the foundations of an old mosque, making it a living testimony of the transition from Islamic to Christian power in the Iberian Peninsula.

The conquest of Málaga in 1487 was one of the bloodiest in the history of the Reconquista. The city, one of the most significant strongholds of the Kingdom of Granada, resisted the siege of the Catholic Monarchs for months, who, after their victory, imposed a new ecclesiastical organization. As part of this restructuring, the old main mosque was consecrated as a church and four Christian temples were created: Santiago Apóstol, San Juan, Los Mártires, and Santa María de La Encarnación. The church of Santiago, the first to be erected, occupied a strategic place in the urban and religious fabric of the city.

Its original structure reflects a fusion of Gothic and Mudejar styles, with a brick tower adorned with sebka, a vestige of its Islamic past. Its interior, with a basilica floor plan, features three naves separated by semicircular arches resting on Corinthian pillars. The central nave is covered by a barrel vault, while the main chapel is adorned with a semi-spherical dome on pendentives. Over the centuries, the temple has undergone various renovations, notably the Baroque intervention in the 18th century, which enriched its decoration with vegetal ornamentation in plasterwork and new side chapels.

Pablo Picasso was baptized here

The heritage value of the church is immeasurable. In its baptismal font, Pablo Picasso was baptized in 1881, a fact that directly links it to the history of art and universal culture. Currently, the artist's birth certificate and the font where he was baptized can be seen. Additionally, it houses the remains of renowned Baroque sculptors such as José Micael y Alfaro, and Fernando Ortiz. Devotion is also present in this temple, as it serves as the canonical headquarters for important Holy Week brotherhoods, such as that of Rico and the Brotherhood of the Sentence.

From an urbanistic point of view, the Church of Santiago is located in a historic enclave of great symbolism. Granada street, where the homonymous gate through which the Catholic Monarchs entered is located, retains its winding layout, reflecting Islamic urbanism. The influence of this church on the development of the city is evident, as surrounding 18th and 19th-century buildings have shaped its current image.