Por Redaccion 
From the end of September until the first months of 2026, the Main Chapel of the Cathedral of Granada will host the exhibition ‘José de Mora. The spiritual baroque’, paying tribute to a sculptor «who developed a large part of his work in Granada, forging one of the most outstanding trajectories of universal Baroque», in the words of the Minister of Culture and Sports, Patricia del Pozo.
Organized jointly by the Andalusian Government and the Archdiocese of Granada, the exhibition «will bring together more than fifty works by José de Mora and those who preceded him, accompanied him, and succeeded him, such as Alonso Cano, Pedro de Mena, Juan Puche, José Risueño, Bernardo de Mora the Elder, Diego de Mora and Bernardo de Mora the Younger«, as advanced by Del Pozo.
The public presentation of the contents of this exhibition took place at an event held in the Cathedral of Granada, attended by the highest authority in Culture of the Andalusian Government, the Mayor of Granada, Marifrán Carazo, the Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Granada, Enrique Rico Pavés, the Delegate of the Junta in Granada, Antonio Granados, and the curator of the exhibition, the university professor of Art History, Juan-Jesús López-Guadalupe Muñoz, among other personalities.
In her speech, Del Pozo highlighted the scope of this «ambitious exhibition project», which will allow «the joint contemplation for the first time of many of José de Mora’s works, contextualized with those of his contemporaries, fifteen of which have been restored for the occasion by up to twelve teams of professionals, coordinated by the Archdiocese of Granada.» In this sense, the minister recalled that an exhibition of this «quality, ambition, and scope» must be, above all, «an opportunity to carry out a critical review and conservation of the artistic and heritage legacy, as well as a cultural dissemination project of the highest level.»
Among the more than fifty works that can be seen together in the Cathedral of Granada, distributed in six exhibition areas, highlights the Christ of Mercy, from the Church of San José la Soledad, recently restored by the Andalusian Institute of Historical Heritage (IAPH), the Christ of the Sentence, from the Church of San Pedro and San Pablo, the most prominent processional image in the Holy Week of Granada, and some of the monumental sculptures of the Tabernacle of the Carthusian Monastery of Granada, including the popular San Brunillo, the Franciscan saints of San Pedro de Priego de Córdoba, or the sculptures of the Salazar Chapel of the Mosque Cathedral of Córdoba.
The Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Granada, Enrique Rico, pointed out that «it is a joy for our Archdiocese of Granada, and for our Cathedral, to host this exhibition that we hope will leave a deep mark to promote so many things that unite us, among others, the centenary of this Cathedral and the desired Cultural Capitality in 2031; ultimately, the well-being of our people, for which we strive from the different areas of society.»
On the other hand, the Mayor of Granada, Marifrán Carazo, thanked the Andalusian Government and the Archdiocese «for this exhibition that highlights the masterful work of the Granada sculptor on the third centenary of his death, and recovers a period of splendor, in which Granada became a reference in artistic and spiritual creation of the first order.»
Likewise, Carazo emphasized that «this exhibition is another attraction in our cultural offer, showcasing our heritage in the year we present the candidacy for European Capital of Culture in 2031.»
The most spiritual baroque
Considered one of the most relevant sculptors of the Hispanic Monarchy, José de Mora (Baza, 1642-Granada,1724) was appointed sculptor to King Carlos II. Closely linked to Granada, his artistic legacy includes a wide range of works distributed in numerous churches and museums in Granada city and its province, as well as in various temples in Andalusia and the rest of the country, and even in prestigious international collections in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and the United States of America.
The exhibition ‘José de Mora. The spiritual baroque’ brings together pieces from the temples, brotherhoods, and parishes of the Archdiocese of Granada, as well as from other churches and collections in Córdoba, Málaga, Sevilla and the city of Granada itself, with lenders such as the Museum of Fine Arts of Granada, the Rodríguez Acosta Foundation, the cathedrals of Córdoba and Málaga, the Academy of Fine Arts of Granada, the Convent of San Juan de la Cruz in Úbeda, the Parish of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción in Priego de Córdoba, and the Church of La Victoria in Osuna, among others.
This exhibition had a small-scale predecessor organized between September 2024 and February 2025, focused on the work of another master of the Granada baroque, the sculptor Torcuato Ruiz del Peral. Organized by the Ministry of Culture at the Museum of Fine Arts of Granada, it attracted more than 83,000 visitors, a number that could be surpassed in the exhibition focused on the work of José de Mora, whose opening to the public, in the Main Chapel of the Cathedral of Granada and in its ambulatory, is scheduled for next September 26.