Iglesia de San Nicolás

In an alley of the El Carmen district, the Church of San Nicolás de Bari and San Pedro Mártir is a Gothic church whose interior is completely covered by Baroque frescoes. Step through the door and look up, and it genuinely takes your breath away, which is why it has earned the nickname the Valencian Sistine Chapel.

History and what makes it special

The Gothic building dates from the 15th-16th centuries, but its major transformation came in the late 17th. Around 1694 the painter Antonio Palomino designed an iconographic programme on the lives of Saint Nicholas and Saint Peter Martyr, which his pupil Dionís Vidal painted across the vault between 1700 and 1704. The result is over 1,900 m² of mural painting, compared with roughly 800 m² on the ceiling of the Vatican's Sistine Chapel. Between 2013 and 2016 the Hortensia Herrero Foundation funded a restoration that returned the frescoes to full colour.

What to see

• The vault, divided into scenes separated by lunettes and angels.
• The contrast between the Gothic structure and the Baroque decoration.
• The lighting, designed to bring out every detail.

Practical tips

A tourist visit requires a paid ticket and includes a highly recommended audio guide. It's a few minutes from the Silk Exchange and the centre. Allow plenty of time: you need to look slowly to take in the detail.

Insider tip

A curiosity to spot: near the rose window at the foot of the church, both Palomino and Dionís Vidal painted themselves into the frescoes, and one of them even left the print of his hand as a hidden signature. Ask the audio guide or hunt for the detail at your leisure. To keep exploring El Carmen's heritage, the Centre del Carme is nearby, and you can plan your route with our things to do in Valencia guide.