San Andrés, Calatayud facts for kids
San Andrés, which means St Andrew, is a beautiful Gothic-style church. It is a Roman Catholic church found in Calatayud, a town in the Aragon region of Spain. It's a very old and important building.
Contents
History of San Andrés Church
Building the Church
The San Andrés church was first planned in the 1100s. This was after King Alfonso I el Batallador helped take back the town of Calatayud. At first, the church probably looked like other Romanesque buildings. Today, only small parts of that first church can still be seen. You can find them above the main entrance and in the font used for baptisms.
Rivalry and Changes
In Calatayud, this church was very important. It was almost as popular as the Colegiata of Santa María. People wanted to worship and give attention to both churches. In 1456, two men named Farax and Brahem, who were called "el Rubio" (meaning "the Blond"), made a special agreement. They were "Moors" (people from North Africa who lived in Spain). They agreed to build a special altar piece, called a ciborium, for another church. It was supposed to look like the one in San Andrés church. The tall bell-tower of San Andrés was built in 1508.
Protecting the Church
By 1870, some parts of the San Andrés church were getting old and falling apart. The city government thought about tearing down the old church buildings. But they wanted to save the famous Tower of San Andrés. Later, in 1966, the church was officially recognized as a building of "historical artistic interest." This means it is a very important historical and artistic place.
Art and Architecture of San Andrés
Church Design
The church still has its original design from the 1300s. This design is called Mudéjar. It mixes Christian and Islamic art styles. The church has Gothic patterns that look like fancy star shapes. These patterns are made from stone or brick. The sides of the church have four small chapels. Two of these chapels also have the Mudéjar design, including the area where baptisms happen. The other two chapels were built later, in the 1700s. They also have beautiful Gothic patterns on their ceilings.
Main Altar Piece
The main altar area has a large, decorated screen called a Retablo. This Retablo has sculptures of two important figures from the Bible: Mark and Luke. It also shows two other saints. Some parts of the Retablo show paintings of the "Fathers of the Roman Church." These were important thinkers like Augustine, Ambrose, Hieronymus, and Gregory the Great.
The very center of the Retablo has a statue of St Andrew. This statue replaced an older painted picture. At the very top of the Retablo, there is a painting from the 1700s. It shows the "Immaculate Conception," which is a religious idea about Mary, the mother of Jesus.
Tower of San Andrés
Tower Style and Structure
The tower of San Andrés is very special. Like the tower of the Santa Maria la Mayor church in the same town, it is built in the Mudéjar style. This style is known for its beautiful brickwork and patterns. The tower is actually made of two towers, one inside the other. There is a staircase between these two towers that lets you climb up.
Inside the Tower
The inner tower is hollow. Inside it, there is a small chapel with eight sides. It took many years, maybe even centuries, to build the tower. The part where the bells are kept was not finished until the 1500s. As you look higher up the tower, the brickwork becomes more and more decorated. This shows how skilled the builders were.
See also
In Spanish: Iglesia de San Andrés (Calatayud) para niños
