Santa María La Antigua

Santa María la Antigua redirects here. For the Spanish colony, see Santa María la Antigua del Darién. For the icon namesake of Antigua, see Seville Cathedral.

Coordinates: 41°39′14″N 4°43′22″W / 41.65389°N 4.72278°W / 41.65389; -4.72278

The church of Santa María la Antigua.

The Church of Saint Mary the Ancient (Spanish: Santa María La Antigua) is a 12th century church in Valladolid, central Spain.

History

Under the current building fundations have been found remains of a Roman hypocaustum . The church was likely founded in 1095 by Count Pedro Ansúrez, although there are no remains of this original structure. The oldest parts of the current temple date to the late 12th century: the gallery in the northern side of the building and the tower, both in Romanesque style. The tower, one of the symbols of Valladolid, has four floors, the upper three featuring windows, and a pyramidal top.

The bell tower.

The naves and sanctuary of the church were rebuilt in the 14th century in Gothic style, following the style of Burgos Cathedral. The church has three aisles, with three polygonal apses and a transept. The nave and the aisles are rib vaulted.

Due to a poor foundation, too next to the Esgueva River, and the increasing size of the parish population, the building underwent successive additions and reparations: in the mid-16th century, architect Rodrigo Gil de Hontañón restored the collapsing building, adding buttresses and several windows. Also from this period date the high altar retablo, by Juan de Juni (1550-1562; now in the Valladolid Cathedral). Several Baroque altarpieces were executed for the church's interior during the 17th and 18th centuries, hiding the original Gothic appearance.

In the early 20th century the building was extensively restored and rebuilt in order to show its original Romanesque-Gothic appearance, following the doctrines of the french architect Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc.