Santa María La Antigua Facts for Kids

"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.

Quick facts for kids Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Antigua Church of Our Lady of the Antique
View of the church.
Religion
Affiliation	Roman Catholic
District	Valladolid
Status	Active
Location
Location	Valladolid, Province of Valladolid, Castile and León, Spain
Architecture
Architectural style	Isabelline Gothic (Gothic), Renaissance
Completed	1088-1952
Spanish Property of Cultural Interest
Official name: Iglesia de Santa María La Antigua
Type	Monument
Designated	08-05-1897
Reference no.	RI-51-0000077

The Church of Saint Mary the Ancient (called Santa María La Antigua in Spanish) is a very old church in Valladolid, central Spain. It was built in the 12th century. In 1897, it was named a special cultural treasure of Spain.

History of the Church
Gallery
See also

History of the Church

The tall bell tower of the church.

Underneath the church, people have found parts of an old Roman heating system called a hypocaustum. This shows that the area was used a very long time ago.

The church was probably started in 1095 by Count Pedro Ansúrez. But none of that first building is left today. The oldest parts you can see now were built in the late 1100s. These include a walkway on the north side and the tall bell tower. Both are in the Romanesque style, which uses round arches and thick walls.

The Bell Tower

The bell tower is one of the most famous symbols of Valladolid. It has four levels. The top three levels have windows, and the very top is shaped like a pyramid.

Changes Over Time

Later, in the 1300s, the main parts of the church were rebuilt. This included the long central area (naves) and the altar area (sanctuary). They were built in the Gothic style, which has pointed arches and tall windows. This style was similar to the famous Burgos Cathedral. The church has three long sections and three rounded ends where altars are. The ceilings are supported by special arched ribs, called rib-vaults.

Over the years, the church needed many repairs. This was because of its design and because more people were using it. In the mid-1500s, an architect named Rodrigo Gil de Hontañón fixed parts that were falling down. He added strong supports called buttresses and more windows.

Inside the Church

Around the same time, a beautiful altar screen called a retablo was made by Juan de Juni. This was between 1550 and 1562. It is now in the Valladolid Cathedral. In the 1600s and 1700s, more fancy altar pieces were added inside. These were in the Baroque style, which is very decorative. They covered up some of the original Gothic look of the church.

In the early 1900s, the church was carefully restored. Workers tried to make it look more like its original Romanesque and Gothic design. They followed ideas from a French architect named Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc.