Rating
4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)
User Reviews
Mar (8 months ago)
Beautiful building that houses this 13th century church. Inside we were surprised by how empty of liturgical content it is; according to information on the town hall panel, the altarpiece of its main altar was transferred to the main chapel of the cathedral where it is displayed. From the square where its main entrance is located, the Valladolid cathedral can be seen laterally.
Beautiful building that houses this 13th century church. Inside we were surprised by how empty of liturgical content it is; according to information on the town hall panel, the altarpiece of its main altar was transferred to the main chapel of the cathedral where it is displayed. From the square where its main entrance is located, the Valladolid cathedral can be seen laterally.
Fernando Patacona (8 months ago)
The church of Santa María de la Antigua is located behind the cathedral and the ruins of the old collegiate church. It is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful churches in Valladolid in which both Romanesque and Gothic are mixed, being the only medieval temple preserved in Valladolid. At the end of the 11th century, Count Pedro Ansúrez received the mandate from Alfonso VI, king of Castile and León, to repopulate and govern the lands near the Duero River that had been conquered from the Muslims. For this purpose he founded the city of Valladolid in the year 1072, in the same place where there was already a small fortified town. Count Ansúrez ordered the erection of two churches dedicated to the devotion of Saint Mary, both outside the primitive walled enclosure. One of these churches is the old collegiate church of Santa María la Mayor, where the cathedral is located today, the other is this church of Santa María de la Antigua, whose construction is even a few years prior to that of the collegiate church, therefore , the oldest church in Valladolid. It has its origins at the end of the 11th century, although nothing remains of this primitive church. The oldest parts date from the late 12th century and early 13th century, which are the bell tower and the porticoed gallery located at the back, both in Romanesque style. From its beginnings, the Romanesque church had significant stability problems in its foundation, so during the reign of Alfonso You can see an influence from the Burgos cathedral. Throughout the 15th and 16th centuries, new renovations were carried out on the choir and the façade, adding buttresses in the side naves and pyramidal pinnacles at the head of the church. However, these reforms did not solve the problem. At the end of the 19th century, the church was in danger of ruin, so it was decided to demolish the naves and the transept, rebuilding them in a neo-Gothic style and respecting as much as possible its 14th-century structure. The church of Santa María de la Antigua is, therefore, a conglomerate of styles and reconstructions carried out over eight centuries. The tower and the north porticoed gallery are Romanesque, the head of the church and the choir are Gothic and the three naves and the transept are neo-Gothic. The church has a basilica plan with three naves and a transept, the central one being higher than the side ones. They are covered by cross vaults whose arches are supported by cylindrical columns with attached columns. The transept has rose windows on both sides that provide natural lighting to the interior, finished off at the top by a series of blind trefoil arches. The head of the church is formed by three polygonal apses, covered with ribbed vaults and slender twin windows. In the central apse, larger than the sides, is the main altar. Until 1922, there was a Mannerist altarpiece from the 16th century, the work of Juan de Juni, which was moved to the cathedral where it is currently located. The entrance to the church is located on the south side, with a flared door formed by a pointed arch with four simple archivolts that increase in width progressively towards the outside. The archivolts rest on thin columns with capitals decorated with plant motifs. Although the most notable element of this church is, without a doubt, the Romanesque bell tower. It is a four-story square tower, very slender and more than 50 meters high, being one of the tallest Romanesque towers on the Iberian Peninsula along with the church of San Esteban in Segovia. In its upper part, mullioned semicircular windows open and it is crowned by a pyramidal tile capital. The stone cross at the entrance to the church marks the place where the parish cemetery was formerly located. Admission to the church is free. A Romanesque gem worth visiting.
The church of Santa María de la Antigua is located behind the cathedral and the ruins of the old collegiate church. It is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful churches in Valladolid in which both Romanesque and Gothic are mixed, being the only medieval temple preserved in Valladolid. At the end of the 11th century, Count Pedro Ansúrez received the mandate from Alfonso VI, king of Castile and León, to repopulate and govern the lands near the Duero River that had been conquered from the Muslims. For this purpose he founded the city of Valladolid in the year 1072, in the same place where there was already a small fortified town. Count Ansúrez ordered the erection of two churches dedicated to the devotion of Saint Mary, both outside the primitive walled enclosure. One of these churches is the old collegiate church of Santa María la Mayor, where the cathedral is located today, the other is this church of Santa María de la Antigua, whose construction is even a few years prior to that of the collegiate church, therefore , the oldest church in Valladolid. It has its origins at the end of the 11th century, although nothing remains of this primitive church. The oldest parts date from the late 12th century and early 13th century, which are the bell tower and the porticoed gallery located at the back, both in Romanesque style. From its beginnings, the Romanesque church had significant stability problems in its foundation, so during the reign of Alfonso You can see an influence from the Burgos cathedral. Throughout the 15th and 16th centuries, new renovations were carried out on the choir and the façade, adding buttresses in the side naves and pyramidal pinnacles at the head of the church. However, these reforms did not solve the problem. At the end of the 19th century, the church was in danger of ruin, so it was decided to demolish the naves and the transept, rebuilding them in a neo-Gothic style and respecting as much as possible its 14th-century structure. The church of Santa María de la Antigua is, therefore, a conglomerate of styles and reconstructions carried out over eight centuries. The tower and the north porticoed gallery are Romanesque, the head of the church and the choir are Gothic and the three naves and the transept are neo-Gothic. The church has a basilica plan with three naves and a transept, the central one being higher than the side ones. They are covered by cross vaults whose arches are supported by cylindrical columns with attached columns. The transept has rose windows on both sides that provide natural lighting to the interior, finished off at the top by a series of blind trefoil arches. The head of the church is formed by three polygonal apses, covered with ribbed vaults and slender twin windows. In the central apse, larger than the sides, is the main altar. Until 1922, there was a Mannerist altarpiece from the 16th century, the work of Juan de Juni, which was moved to the cathedral where it is currently located. The entrance to the church is located on the south side, with a flared door formed by a pointed arch with four simple archivolts that increase in width progressively towards the outside. The archivolts rest on thin columns with capitals decorated with plant motifs. Although the most notable element of this church is, without a doubt, the Romanesque bell tower. It is a four-story square tower, very slender and more than 50 meters high, being one of the tallest Romanesque towers on the Iberian Peninsula along with the church of San Esteban in Segovia. In its upper part, mullioned semicircular windows open and it is crowned by a pyramidal tile capital. The stone cross at the entrance to the church marks the place where the parish cemetery was formerly located. Admission to the church is free. A Romanesque gem worth visiting.
Julia Piroddi (2 years ago)
Stunning ??
Stunning ??
Maria Gal (2 years ago)
I like it, but the visitors who are planning to visit after eating, find everything closed until 5 in the afternoon, a shame to be short on time and not be able to take advantage of it as in other cities, which keep their monuments open on weekends also at noon.
I like it, but the visitors who are planning to visit after eating, find everything closed until 5 in the afternoon, a shame to be short on time and not be able to take advantage of it as in other cities, which keep their monuments open on weekends also at noon.
Jorge Domínguez (3 years ago)
Very nice building with the tallest tower in Spain of that type, inside it could not be visited because it was Monday and it was closed to the public. Around it is a whole garden area with many bars.
Very nice building with the tallest tower in Spain of that type, inside it could not be visited because it was Monday and it was closed to the public. Around it is a whole garden area with many bars.
