Close to the famous castle of Santa bárbara in Alicante is the Church of the virgin Mary, which is one of the oldest and most important churches of the city. Traditionally at that time the Church was built on the site of the destroyed mosque. The time of its construction belongs to the 15-16th centuries. The Church was built as a symbol of the victory of the Spaniards over the Moors and liberation from Muslim rule. The original Church was built in Gothic style, but later on the main altar of the Church and a beautiful portal with the image of the virgin was rebuilt in Baroque style.

Directly next to the Church, in the homonymous square of the virgin Mary is the famous city Museum of contemporary art, which is considered one of the most important cultural places in Alicante. Collected here are an amazing collection of art from the 20th century, presents painting, sculpture, graphics. The collection has been donated to the Museum by the great Spanish sculptor, painter and draftsman Eusebio Sempere. In the Museum's collection are 177 of works of the greatest artists of the 20th century, Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, Joan Miro, Wassily Kandinsky, Marc Chagall and others. In addition, the Museum displays a collection of works by the Eusebio Sempere, which was purchased by the Municipality after the death of the artist, in 1996. The collection includes 101 great master piece and includes works of the early period, represented by the watercolour drawings and oil paintings and later sculptures are made of chrome steel, created by the artist in the 70-ies of the 20th century.