Church of Our Lady of the Assumption, Villamelendro de Valdavia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Church of Our Lady of the Assumption |
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Interior
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| Location | Villamelendro de Valdavia |
| Country | Spain |
| Denomination | Catholic Church |
| History | |
| Status | Active |
| Dedication | Assumption of Mary and Saint Rocco |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Parish church |
| Architect(s) | Juan de la Cuesta |
| Style | Baroque architecture |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Palencia |
The Church of Our Lady of the Assumption (which means Our Lady of the Assumption Church in Spanish) is a Catholic church in Villamelendro de Valdavia, Spain. It was first built a very long time ago, in the early 1100s. The church has a beautiful baroque style, which is a fancy and detailed way of building.
Contents
History of the Church
We know this church has been around since the 1100s. In 1180, a king named Alfonso VIII officially recognized the villages of Villasila and Villamelendro. This means their churches were already there. The Church of Our Lady of the Assumption was built on top of an even older building. You can tell because the front part of the church, called the presbytery, is a little bit crooked compared to the rest. This part is also closer to the village, so it was probably the first piece built.
Records from 1549 show that a lot of building work was happening. Most of the church we see today was built by a master stonemason named Juan de la Cuesta. He worked with Pedro de Argadero, who made the wooden roof structure. Later, parts like the entrance porch and its floor were added. Some walls and the sacristy (a room for church items) were also changed after Juan de la Cuesta finished his work.
In 1771, a report was made about the church groups in the area. It showed that the churches in Villasila and Villamelendro had several groups and a good amount of money for special events.
People in the village say that in the 1970s, a tombstone with old writing was found near the sacristy while digging a well. But no one knows where it is now.
Until the late 1980s, men and women sat in different parts of the church. Men sat near the front entrance, and women sat closer to the altar. Women often sat where their family members were buried under the floor. This tradition was passed down through generations.
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A view of the church from above.
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The front of the church.
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A map of the church showing its different parts.
Church Design
Outside the Church
The church is made of brick and stone. It has a new bell tower at the front, which is made of plastered brick. This new tower was built in the mid-1900s because the old one was becoming unsafe. The old tower had a sloped roof and two openings for bells.
You enter the church through a church porch on the right side. This porch was used to store church items for a while. In 2012, it was fixed up. Workers cleaned the walls and replaced an old mud wall. The main door of the porch has two big panels, with a smaller door inside for quick entry. The big panels were once tied together, maybe to keep people warm. In 2014, the big door was fixed to open properly again. During this work, they found four different layers of paint! They also found two special crosses carved outside the left door.
During the renovations, a special carved stone was found. It had been moved from its original spot. Experts said its grooves were from the Renaissance period, a time of great art and learning. The stone has 15 grooves, each ending in a semicircle, with a rope-like design between them.
Outside, on a stone of the sacristy, there is a carved cross. This type of cross is seen on other doorways in the area. People think it might have been a way to protect against sickness, like the cholera outbreak in 1855. It could also be linked to a special church group called the Brotherhood of the Vera Cruz.
On the outside of the back of the church, there's an old, reddish brick. Locals call it the santo rojo (holy red). It used to act like a sundial in summer. When the sun was highest at noon, the church's shadow would reach this brick. This helped people working nearby know the time.
The church's cemetery is on the north side. It was probably built in the early 1800s. The current cemetery is bigger than the first one, with new walls and access added in the late 1900s.
Inside the Church
Inside, the church has one main open space, called a nave, and the presbytery (the area near the altar). These parts are separated by stone arches and have a rounded ceiling. At the back, there's a raised wooden choir area. In 1987, old paintings from the 1700s were found on the walls.
Near the entrance, on the left side, the floor has a star pattern. On the right side, there's a design of a vase, which represents the Virgin Mary.
When the entrance floor was repaired in 2012, workers found that parts of the church are paved with small river rocks that form patterns. A design near the entrance might be a sun symbol, often placed at religious sites long ago for protection.
The main church floor still has its original terracotta tiles. For many years, people were buried under the church floor. Because of this, many tiles have dents and chipped edges from being lifted and put back. Richer people could pay to be buried closer to the altar. As space ran out, an outside cemetery was needed in the 1700s, but burials inside continued until the 1800s.
Fixtures and Decorations
At the very front of the church, in the presbytery, is the main altarpiece from the early 1600s. An altarpiece is a large, decorated screen behind the altar. This one has paintings of the Annunciation (when an angel told Mary she would have Jesus) and the Adoration of the Shepherds (when shepherds visited baby Jesus). On either side are four smaller pictures of important church leaders, like Augustine of Hippo and Gregory the Great. These pictures are like pillars supporting the church.
In the middle of the altarpiece is a special space with a statue of the Ascension (when Jesus went up to heaven). Around it are four pictures showing the life and martyrdom (death for their faith) of Saints Cyricus and Julitta. A crucifix (a cross with Jesus on it) is above the altar. On the right side of the church, there's a fancy rococo altarpiece with carvings of souls and the Holy Trinity (God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). On the other side, there's another crucifix and a similar rococo altarpiece, but this one is gilded (covered in gold).
The door of the main church area has a carving of the Resurrection (when Jesus came back to life). In the baptistery (where baptisms happen), behind the choir, there's a baptismal font with a carved cross on it. This font is from the late 1700s.
The church also has other interesting artworks. One is a picture of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It was given to the church in the early 1900s by a family whose son, Marcos Cabezón, returned safely from a war.
There are two large religious banners. One is used for holidays; it's crimson (deep red) and white with a red cross in the middle. The other banner is purple with gold trim and is used for funerals and special events about Jesus's suffering. Both banners are carried with a bronze processional cross and two old lanterns from the 1700s.
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The main altarpiece, a large decorated screen behind the altar.
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Parts of the main altar showing the lives of Saints Cyricus and Julitta.
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Pictures of four important church leaders.
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The baptismal font, used for baptisms, from the 1700s.
Looking After the Church
The church built by Juan de la Cuesta had some problems early on. They had to add thick walls called buttresses to support the main structure. These buttresses help stop the walls from pushing outwards. The area near the altar also needed strong buttresses. In the cemetery area, the bottom of these buttresses are worn away by dampness and old burials.
In the mid-1900s, a special support was added to the arch near the altar to keep it stable. However, another arch in the main part of the church is slowly moving inwards, which could be a problem for the ceiling. Also, in the late 1900s, the bottom of the church walls were painted with a plastic paint. This paint trapped moisture inside the walls instead of letting it drain, which made the walls weaker.
Because of these problems, the church was put on the "Red List" of endangered heritage sites in November 2019. This list is made by an organization called Hispania Nostra, which works to protect old buildings.
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See also
In Spanish: Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción (Villamelendro de Valdavia) para niños
