Church of San Pedro de Tejada, Burgos Facts for Kids

The church of San Pedro de Tejada

The Church of San Pedro de Tejada is a very old and important church in Spain. It shows off a special building style called Spanish Romanesque architecture. You can find this church in the beautiful Valley of Valdivieso, which is in the Province of Burgos.

Long ago, this church was part of a monastery. This monastery might have been there as early as the 800s! The church you see today was built much later, in the 1100s. It's the only part left of that old monastery. In Spanish, it's sometimes called an eremita, which means a quiet place for a hermit.

What the Church Looks Like
Inside the Church
- Carved Columns
- Important Art Pieces
Gallery
See also

What the Church Looks Like

The Church of San Pedro de Tejada was built in the typical Romanesque style. It has a rounded end on its eastern side, called an apse. The main part of the church is long and rectangular, like a basilica.

The Big Tower

A large square tower stands over the middle part of the church. You can get to the top of this tower! There's a staircase that goes up inside a round tunnel. This tunnel is attached to the church's southern wall.

Outside Decorations

The outside of the rounded apse has three sections. Each section has a window. These windows are decorated with cool Romanesque designs. They are framed by columns with carved tops, called capitals.

Look up at the roofline! There are 86 small stone carvings called corbels. These carvings show all sorts of things. You can see monks, bishops, acrobats, and musicians. There are also animals and scenes that show what happens when people do bad things.

Main Entrance

The main door of the church is on the west side. It's very fancy! It has many carvings that tell stories from the New Testament. You can see scenes like the Last Supper and carvings of the Apostles. There's another door on the north side. This door might have been used to connect the church to the old monastery buildings.

The big tower has two levels. The bottom level has decorative arches. The top level has open arches, letting light and air through.

Inside the Church

The inside of the church is also full of amazing sculptures. These carvings show both plants and stories from the Old and New Testaments. The apse, the rounded end, has a row of arches.

Carved Columns

The columns in the middle of the church, where the main parts cross, have special carved tops. These carvings show important scenes. You can see the Last Supper, where Jesus ate with his disciples. Another carving shows Saint Peter being freed. There's also a carving of the Pantocrator, which is a powerful image of Jesus. He is surrounded by the Tetramorph, which are symbols of the four Gospel writers.

Important Art Pieces

An altarpiece that used to be in the church is now in the Museo de Burgos. It was painted by a monk from the Monastery of San Salvador de Oña.

Something exciting happened in November 2024. The Spanish Police found a missing piece of a stone carving! This piece, called the Adoration of the Kings, had been stolen from the church way back in 1935. It's great that it was returned!