Baroque chapel in Nerja officially registered as an asset of cultural interest

The Andalusian government added Nerja’s 18th century Nuestra Señora de las Angustias chapel to its General Catalogue of Historical Heritage (CGPHA), as an Asset of Cultural Interest (BIC) on Tuesday 19 September, after years of campaigning for its inclusion by Nerja town hall.

The Baroque chapel, which is located on the outskirts of the popular coastal town, is a monument of outstanding and diverse architectural, historical-artistic and ethnological value.

As well as its architecture, the chapel houses and series of paintings "of great quality" by undocumented artists belonging to the Granada school, shaped by the influence of Alonso de Cano. A number of other assets housed inside the chapel contribute to the relevance of the building, inclusing the image of Our Lady of las Angustias, made by José Navas-Parejo and Aurelio López Azaustre, as well as the altarpiece, designed by Fernando Prini Betés, and the 19th century gold and silver pieces made by the Malaga silversmith Miguel Orfila and by the Real Fábrica de Platería Martínez in Madrid.

The building is connected with the importance of sugar production in Nerja, which started in the 16th century and which led to the construction of the building at the beginning of the 18th century, with the López Enríquez de Alcántara and Alférez and Velasco, owners of a sugar mill located near the chapel, who were its patrons and chaplains.